Barack Obama highlighted “seniors getting ready to retire” as a crucial source of new ideas “that could benefit millions of Americans if they’re given the chance to grow.”

The Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign also singled out Experience Corps as “a good model that should be expanded beyond reading and mentoring to other challenges on which national service will be focused.”

Obama’s call to action to meet the nation’s great challenges is notable for its inclusiveness – military as well as civilian, faith-based as well as secular and older as well as younger. He issued the call in Colorado Springs today and in Zanesville, Ohio earlier this week; his campaign provided additional details.

David Buck of Minneapolis was feeling lost when he was downsized in 2006 from his job in real estate. Then he spoke with Jan Hively, who gave him a pep talk he won’t soon forget. “You’re no different from millions of other boomers out there who are seeking more meaningful work,” she told him.

The two of them decided to gather people together for conversations on options in later life, which have changed dramatically in recent years due to declining pensions and health care benefits.

The result is Shift, a community in which members identify and share their strengths and interests, providing a resource network for midlife career transitions. Based in Minneapolis, the group recently started a recruitment drive and now has 88 paid members toward its goal of having 100 members by August 1. In the past year, more than 2,000 people have attended Shift events.