Valerie Stinger, left, gave up her corporate career to join the Peace Corps and now trains entrepreneurs in Sudan, the former Soviet Union and other countries.

The hundreds of people who entered our first story contest offered testimony about a growing trend: Individuals applying their life experiences and personal passions to new careers that benefit the greater good.

That trend, however, is merely the sum of our uniquely personal stories. The 17 winners of the “My Encore Moment” story contest told theirs with energy and impact, and we are looking forward to meeting them in person at next month’s first-ever Encore Careers Summit.

The gathering, focused on the transition from midlife careers to social-purpose encore careers, is being organized by Civic Ventures, a national think tank on boomers, work and social purpose and the publisher of Encore.org.

“They may not know it, but they are part of a movement,” Marc Freedman, the head of Civic Ventures, said of the story contest entrants. “There’s work that matters in every community and for every person.”

A former U.S. Department of Defense transportation specialist, Mark McVay discovered his calling when he started teaching in a Denver homeless shelter for high school age students who are living on the streets. “For me to give them hope, direction, and opportunity for a brighter future is like nothing that I have ever done before,” he writes.

Others have known all along what they were meant to do. “My great-grandmother made me a miniature nurse’s uniform, and I went around the neighborhood with my nurse’s kit taking care of the neighbors,” writes Martha Koelemay of Oden, Ark. “Then I grew up and life happened.”

The “moments” that ultimately spurred the transitions to encore careers ranged from the mundane to the profound.

“The fishing was lousy, bait was getting scarce, had finished the house project and was tired of piece-work when it came along,” writes Bart Kendrick of Arlington, Va. “Early retirement isn’t what it was cracked up to be.”

“I stood in front of the 20 or so managers…reminding them of the client’s stated corporate mission ‘to increase income for shareholders,’ and somehow my enthusiasm for my job at that moment fell flat,” recalls Sheila Moore of Ooltewah, Tenn.

“Gina’s death broke my heart wide open,” writes Patricia Boies of Washington, D.C., who lost her 10-year-old daughter. “I knew I had to do something with the compassion that fills me for people facing their own death or grieving the death of somebody they love.”

The winners include Sandy Cherry of Dayton, Ohio, a former telephone company employee who began volunteering at a nursing home and now serves as an ombudsman advocating for residents who can no longer speak up for themselves.

Judi Henderson-Townsend of Oakland, Calif., went shopping for a mannekin for an art project and wound up starting a nonprofit that recycles 100,000 pounds of mannekins a year, keeping them out of landfills.

And David Leopard of Richardson, Texas, retired early from his work in law enforcement and corporate security and now devotes himself to helping people avoid identify theft.

The other winners are Susan Burket of Potomac, Md.; Arlene Carter of Seattle; Pat Dexter of Mesa, Az.; Carol Mannes of New York City; Milton Morgan of Santa Barbara, Calif.; Patti Pardini-Barrett of Chico, Calif.; Elaine Purchase of North Bend, Wash.; Valerie Stinger of Palo Alto, Calif.; and Robert Ward of Lewes, Del.

Read their stories.