$5,000 for Five People With Ideas for Change

11/16/2010 - 07:05:57am

Civic Ventures announced Launch Pad today, an online contest to find five people with great ideas for transforming their community.

Check it out.

The rules are simple: Anyone 45 and over can enter. All people have to do is submit their idea online for improving their community by December 20. Civic Ventures will narrow down the list of submissions to 25 semifinalists, then the public will be able to vote for five winners starting in January.

And the 2010 Purpose Prize Winners Are…

11/09/2010 - 10:23:09pm

Ten individuals have been awarded up to $100,000 for their work to improve their communities and the world. From fighting U.S. foreclosures to taking on powerful polluters to rebuilding Afghanistan, this year’s Purpose Prize winners are working on community-based issues from the ground up -- and getting results. You can read about all 10 of the 2010 winners below.

Watch videos of the five $100,000 winners
Read about the 46 individuals named 2010 Purpose Prize fellows

Prize Countdown: Who Will Win $100,000 in Their Encore Career?

10/20/2010 - 09:29:30pm

From fighting U.S. foreclosures to taking on powerful polluters to rebuilding Afghanistan, this year’s Purpose Prize winners are working on community-based issues from the ground up -- and getting results.

Who are the 2010 Purpose Prize Winners? Five $100,000 and five $50,000 winners will be revealed November 10 on Encore.org.

Get the latest updates on this year’s winners:

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Chemist to College Professor

08/13/2010 - 07:09:58pm

John Louis’ story is not unlike many facing a tough job market: laid off and looking to reignite their career with a lifelong passion.

A chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, he found himself out of work at age 44 with a decision to make about his future. He needed to keep working, but what kind of work would he seek out?

Training Boomers to Meet Community Needs

07/26/2010 - 03:34:05pm

Fifteen community colleges have been awarded Encore Career Grants to support new or existing programs aimed at retraining boomers for careers in health, education and social services. See which colleges were awarded the grant.

The Community College Encore Career Grants are awarded to innovative colleges that identify social-purpose jobs available in the community – such as adjunct faculty, community health workers and pharmacist technicians – and prepare boomers to fill them.

Grants to Colleges Prep Boomers for Health, Ed Jobs

07/12/2010 - 03:03:38pm

Civic Ventures and MetLife have teamed up to award seven new grants to community colleges helping experienced adults get on the fast track to careers in health and education, including becoming teachers, adjunct college instructors, caregivers and clinical nursing instructors. Read the press release.

The grants come on the heels of a new report by Northeastern University labor economist Barry Bluestone which found that, after the recession ends, there will likely be more health and education jobs than people to fill them. And while jobs are tight now, health and education fields continue to have openings. Learn about the research.

Tips for Social Networking Your Way Into an Encore Career

06/29/2010 - 12:33:20pm

In a tough economy – or any economy, for that matter – tapping your network is always essential for getting on the inside track to job openings. Social networking is the ideal way to meet people online and make connections, both personal and professional, and Encore.org is the “go-to place” to get in on the action.

Best-Selling Authors Talk About Encore Careers

06/18/2010 - 02:28:28pm

How do you reinvent yourself in retirement? How do you handle the finances? What extra obstacles do women face? Are younger workers in competition with older workers? Those are some of the topics that three best-selling authors discuss during a June 17 webcast sponsored by Merrill Lynch called "Reinventing Retirement: Second Acts."

Civic Ventures President to Lead Americorps

04/27/2010 - 04:02:57pm

After leading a successful campaign to include encore fellowships in the Serve America Act, Civic Ventures President John Gomperts has been appointed head of AmeriCorps, the largest national service program. As part of the Serve America Act passed a year ago, 10 percent of AmeriCorps positions have been set side for adults over 55 and 10 encore fellowships are called for in each state.

In his new role, Gomperts will bring his expertise in national sevice, education and public policy to work under President Obama and Patrick Corvington, the new leader of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

PBS: Encore Careers Help Revolutionize Retirement

03/28/2008 - 01:47:13pm

A new two-part series, Retirement Revolution, hosted by Paula Zahn and airing on PBS stations nationwide beginning March 31, highlights the new face of retirement and offers a more hopeful picture of what lies ahead in the second half of life.

Civic Ventures founder Marc Freedman, 2007 Purpose Prize winner Gary Maxworthy and Experience Corps' Bay Area Director Janet Oh are featured as experts and examples of the power of second careers after the age of 50 that are both personally fulfilling and have a social purpose. Catch the encore career segments in the second part of the series, available for viewing on the Web site.