2009 Purpose Prize nominations now open

David Bank — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:11:02 -0600

Do you know someone who is changing the world in the second half of life?

Are you using your encore career to pioneer a new approach to a social challenge?

Nominations are now open for The Purpose Prize — five $100,000 and five $50,000 awards for social innovators over 60. (Winners of the 2008 Purpose Prizes will be announced December 3.)

TIME: Financial woes force boomers to work longer -- and that´s good

Terry Nagel — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:37:26 -0600

Boomers aren’t likely to get a federal bailout, but they can bail out their own sinking finances with another few years of work, Time magazine reports.

WALL STREET JOURNAL: The best in ... encore careers

David Bank — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:31:00 -0600

The Wall Street Journal recommended Encore.org in the Personal Finance section of its annual “Best in…” listings.

“Last November in these pages, we profiled Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life.,” the Journal writes. “In the time since, Mr. Freedman and Civic Ventures, the San Francisco-based nonprofit where he serves as chief executive, have developed a Web site to help people discover new opportunities in retirement.

“In particular, check out the profiles of people who have embraced encore careers (if you’re looking for ideas about what’s possible), as well as the site’s “Career Finder,” which can direct you to jobs in your area.

“All in all, a terrific resource.”

ENCORE STORYTELLERS: “My Encore Moment” story contest winners

David Bank — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:40:08 -0600

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.

ENCORE TEACHERS: Classroom calling

David Bank — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:26:12 -0600

Teaching appears to be the encore career of choice, judging from the boom in articles and studies about people taking up the challenge of public school classrooms.

“Clearly it’s not for the money,” writes Meg McConahey in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. “For many, it is a calling that went unheeded early in life in favor of a more lucrative career. For others, it is a chance to reconnect with a subject they once fell in love with, whether it be art, literature or history.”

ENCORE AGENDA: In the service of change

David Bank — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:49:24 -0600

President-elect Barack Obama has asked Americans to join in the work of remaking the nation “block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

And he appears to be ready to match that rhetoric with concrete steps to expand national service and social entrepreneurship opportunities for people of all ages.

ENCORE JOURNEY: Tough-on-crime official to prisoner advocate

Jenny Griffin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:14:34 -0600

As a Virginia state senator and attorney general, Mark Earley spent much of the 1980s and ’90s trying to put more criminals in jail.

Now, he helps prisoners get the support and guidance they need to become leaders both inside prison and on the outside.

ENCORE OPPORTUNITIES: After-school positions can ease financial crunch

David Bank — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:13:37 -0600

MarketWatch reporter Andrea Coombs reports on older Americans who want to give back to society but need some pocket change to cover their costs, or who need a temporary cash cushion as they look to change careers.

ENCORE EMPLOYERS: Will tough times pinch encore opportunities?

Cal Halvorsen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:46:01 -0500

All the gloom and doom talk about workforce cuts may not adversely affect those who seeking encore careers, according to attendees at a recent Employer Breakfast Roundtable on Mature Workforce Issues held in Washington, D.C.

ENCORE TRANSITIONS: Companies and colleges create late-career pathways

Terry Nagel — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:16:22 -0500

Baby boomers eager to “recareer” have inspired community groups, private companies and community colleges to offer programs aimed at helping ease the transition, reports The New York Times.

“With more than a quarter of the American work force age 50 and over, according to federal labor statistics, more people are deciding the hobbies-and-leisure retirement model isn’t for them,” writes reporter Elizabeth Olsen.

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