 |
| Andy Wells , Wells Technology and Wells Academy |
| Visit Wells Technology and Wells Academy's website |
| Contact Andy Wells |
Wells Technology and Wells Academy
Purpose Prize Fellow 2011
Andy Wells grew up on a dairy and grain farm on a reservation in northern Minnesota. A poverty-stricken area home to the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, it lacked both good schools and a thriving job market. Wells nevertheless managed to get a master’s degree and forge a successful career in industrial technology, first as an engineer, then as a professor at Bemidji State University and finally as founder of Wells Technology, which designs and manufactures aeronautic, robotic and automation technology for clients in 54 countries.
In Search of Purpose, Passion and a Paycheck: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life
Some of the most inspiring encore stories come from Purpose Prize winners and fellows, people in their 60s and beyond who are tackling society’s toughest problems.
Start: 06/29/2011 - 4 p.m.
End: 06/29/2011 - 6 p.m.
Three or more decades of well-funded leisure may remain an option only for increasingly narrow sections of society. For the rest, the final chapters of life are poised to change dramatically. “We can’t stuff a 21st-century life span into a life course designed for the 20th century,” warns Civic Ventures founder and CEO Marc Freedman in his new book, The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife.
Boomers – the very people the Peace Corps was created to engage back in the 1960s – are looking for another round of service with the same motivations that attracted them four decades ago: to give back, to have an adventure, to acquire experience and to gain the credentials and credibility to launch a new chapter of life and work. Why not give them a second chance to serve – a kind of “encore” service for those who are past middle age but far too active to be considered old?
NY Public Library Hosts Encore Careers Panel June 29
06/08/2011 - 03:39:01am
Some of the most inspiring encore stories come from Purpose Prize winners and fellows, people in their 60s and beyond who are tackling society’s toughest problems.
If you’re in New York on June 29, join us at the New York Public Library for some inspiration from four Purpose Prize honorees, who will talk about how they transitioned into encore careers.
- by: Stefanie Weiss | More >
On one hand, “second act” or “encore phase,” is supposed to be a time of giving back to the community, of pursuing one’s passion. On the flip side, there are people who don’t think they’ll ever have enough to retire. “There’s definitely a longevity paradox,” says Marc Freedman, author of The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife. “The doctor tells you to exercise and eat well, while the editorial pages tell of a long gray wave of greedy geezers who won’t move aside to let younger workers in.”
Tough new economic realities have transformed career reinvention from a virtue into a necessity for millions of older Americans who aren't ready to retire or simply can't afford to quit working. But hard times have not forced many boomers around traditional retirement age to give up dreams of meaningful second careers. Recognizing that trend, Civic Ventures has launched a movement around encore careers with two main themes: second careers with meaning and social entrepreneurship.
Purpose Prize Winners Star in Sean Penn Documentary
05/31/2011 - 02:36:00pm
In a new documentary produced by Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn, Purpose Prize winner Elizabeth Alderman recalls the horror she felt after she lost her 25-year-old son, Peter, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.
- by: Michele Melendez | More >
Learn about The Purpose Prize on Inside E Street, an AARP program that airs on PBS. Marc Freedman, founder of Civic Ventures and co-founder of The Purpose Prize, and Prize winner Timothy Will talk about the award, which honors social entrepreneurs 60 and older. Will won in 2009 for bringing broadband Internet access to his Appalachian community so farmers could link directly with restaurants and sell their produce.
College Preparation Coach
CollegePath LA
Launch Pad Finalist
Big Idea
Public schools in large urban areas typically have thousands of students – and often just one college counselor. Private schools, by contrast, generally offer individualized counseling and guidance; students are tutored in SAT preparation. Those resources give private school students a tremendous advantage over their public school peers in navigating a difficult, bewildering process. In addition, students from low-income communities need help finding and applying for scholarships to finance their postsecondary school education.
