Encore Lapel Buttons -- Creating a Buzz

12/17/2010 - 10:06:55am

I've been wearing my Encore button in my lapel for the last few weeks. People are asking me about it wherever I go. I walk the halls of Congress, and Members say what's the button about. Journalists ask as well. You don't need to be an elected official or journalist for the button to trigger curiousity.

When asked, I say this is Now and that was Then. People in encore careers are ready to contribute their experience, go on learning, earn some money and have fun, too.

In Memoriam: Kenneth Bacon, Honorary Purpose Prize Winner

11/16/2009 - 09:47:28am

Editor's Note: The late Kenneth Bacon (1944-2009) was honored at the 2009 Purpose Prize Summit with an Honorary Purpose Prize for his extensive contributions as a social innovator. Here is the moving tribute that David Cohen made shortly after Bacon died last summer.

Ken Bacon was an encore exemplar. He died at the too young age of 64 of melanoma.

Purpose Prize Summit: On John Gardner's Wisdom Trail

11/03/2009 - 06:37:25am

Thomas Tierney, the founder of Bridgespan and former CEO of Bain & Co., combined his sharp analysis of social change and his passion about John Gardner's mentoring and influence on him in telling a riveting personal story at the 2009 Purpose Prize Summit.

I too was mentored by Gardner. I cherish these chances to place in a current context Gardner's influence as a social innovator, thinker and whose mentoring guidance has a lasting impact on our public and private lives.

Ted Kennedy’s Legacy of Service

08/27/2009 - 02:36:28pm

Add your Encore tribute to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy's death brings back lots of memories for me. I was lucky to have a chance to work with Senator Kennedy and his extraordinary staff on public issues for nearly 50 years. I was no intimate, but I did lots of public interest lobbying and our paths crossed many times. Happily for me, I had a chance to work on the Serve America legislation that is named in Senator Kennedy's honor.

David Cohen: First 100 Days Launches Adventure in Citizenship

04/28/2009 - 11:07:04am

Editor's note: David Cohen, a senior advisor to Civic Ventures, has been an advocate and strategist on many of the major social justice and political reform issues in the United States since the early 1960s.

Among the achievements of the first 100 days of President Obama and his Administration, I believe the signing into law of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act represents a singular breakthrough with immeasurable promise for the President, his Administration and the American people.

Obama Leading by Modeling and Showing Respect

12/22/2008 - 08:07:52am

On December 17 I posted a comment on a Salon article dealing with Obama's appointment of Arne Duncan as secretary of education. The announcement took place at a Chicago elementary school. Obama had a conversation with first to fourth graders.

Here's what I posted corrected for spelling, grammar and clarity.

GROWING POWER: Recognition of Older Innovators

10/01/2008 - 10:29:28am

Encore.org member David Cohen, a senior fellow at Experience Corps, contributed this comment:

Choosing Will Allen, the Milwaukee urban farmer, for a MacArthur genius award gave me great pleasure.

I was part of a team at the Advocacy Institute--with key colleagues Sharvell Becton, Laura Chambers, Keiko Koizumi and Kathleen Sheekey-- that worked on the Leadership for a Changing World Program (LCW) in partnership with the Ford Foundation and the Robert Wagner School of Public Service at New York University (NYU).

Our purpose was to award through varieties of recognition, including money, social change leadership that tackled intractable social problems systemically and systematically. Our focus was to find those leaders whose leadership made a difference in people's lives but who were largely unrecognized.