You Make a Life by What You Give

–Plus 50 Volunteerism in

Community Colleges“You make a living by what you get, but you

make a life by what you give.”

Winston Churchill

Tracy Reilly Kelly, MSTProgram Director and Manager

Plus 50 Initiative & Mature Learning Clark College, Washington

Kim Morey, EdD CandidateProgram Director

Western Dakota Technical Institute Rapid City, South Dakota

Sheila Marchbanks Program Director

Institutional Services Chaffey College, CA

Presenters:

Presentation Schedule3:00 – 3:10pm What is the “Plus 50 Initiative?

3:10 – 3:25pm Western Dakota Technical Institute: Plus 50 Staffing for Seasonal Employment with the National Park Service

3:25 – 3:40pm Chaffey College: Plus 50 Mentors to Economically Disadvantaged

Students

3:40 – 3:55pm Clark College: Volunteerism - The Focus of the

Green TeamSCORE & Mature Learning

3:55 – 4:00 Questions & Answers

The Plus 50 InitiativeAmerican Association of Community Colleges

Funded with a grant from Atlantic Philanthropies

Who is participating – Community Colleges

The Demographic Revolution:It’s Here

Our nation faces a demographic revolution as 78 million baby boomers enter their retirement years.

Plus 50 adults want to stay actively engaged in the workplace, in education and in service opportunities.

Not the Stereotypical Retirement

Innovative program reaching out to adult learners who are age 50 and up that is benchmarking standards of excellence among community colleges nationwide.

What is the Plus 50 Initiative?

Kim Morey, EdD CandidateProgram Director

Western Dakota Technical Institute

Rapid City, South Dakota

Partnership and Trainingfor

Volunteers

Finding the win, win, win, relationship

NPS/WDT Plus 50 Program

Partnership

• WDT has expertise and experience in designing, promoting, and delivering training to the general public

• NPS has expertise in training interpretive guides

• WDT has access to Plus 50 funding• NPS has vacant jobs and volunteer

opportunities

Intrepid learners

Training

• Existing curriculum & delivery modified to meet Plus 50 preferences

• Scheduled one day per week• Lecture, feedback, reflection, student

activity interspersed through agenda• Varied and numerous handouts• Upcoming schedules and activities

preannounced

Experiencing the importance of place

Touching recent history

Volunteers

• Given structured options• Some participate for personal enrichment,

some seek paid seasonal positions, others pursue volunteer opportunities

• Confidence and commitment boosted by curriculum

• Personal experience honored and incorporated

Building community in class

Sheila Marchbanks Program Director

Institutional Services

Chaffey College, CA

• The focus of the Chaffey College Plus 50 model involves a partnership between Plus 50 mentors and students who are underserved, underachieving, and economically disadvantaged

• The 2nd focus of the program is to provide need-based and interest-based educational opportunities through workshops, classes, and speakers to the Plus 50 community both in their agencies and at the college

Model Theme

Populations Impacted

• Chaffey College students of all ages• Historically underserved, underprepared,

and economically disadvantaged

Chaffey College students in the:AMAN/AWOMAN programAutomotive Technology Language Success Center Programs

Plus 50 Year I Activities

• Develop the Plus 50 community/college mentor program with four agencies serving Plus 50 adults

• Secure 4-7 mentors for each of the 3 programs identified in the proposal for underserved, underachieving students

• Begin to communicate needs for educational programming based on Plus 50’s needs and interests

• Begin development of educational programs for the Plus 50 community agencies

Plus 50 Year II Activities

• Continue Plus 50 mentor partnership development by increasing mentors from 7-10 in three programs

• Expand mentor partnership from 4 to 6 agencies

• Fully develop the educational programming including a faculty speaker pool, short term classes and workshops in the Plus 50 partner agencies

Plus 50 Year III Activities

• Continue efforts from years 1 & 2 based on annual research evaluations with emphasis on sustainability through shared resources

• Disseminate information

Tracy Reilly Kelly, MSTProgram Director and

ManagerPlus 50 Initiative & Mature

Learning Clark College, Washington

Service and Volunteering

Programs and services that support plus 50 learners in finding opportunities to volunteer their skills and talents in a wide variety of locales:

• in communities• at community colleges• for nonprofits

Only 30% of colleges surveyed report that they have Service and Volunteering programs for Plus 50 studentsExecutive Summary: State of Community College Plus 50 Programs Nationwide

When potential volunteers choose an opportunity, what are they looking for?

• They have a built in affinity for a particular type of opportunity Example: retired executives of SCORE

• They have a real interest in a particular theme Example: National Parks

• They are altruistic and want to help others for positive change

Example: economically disadvantaged students

How do you find the “right” Plus 50 volunteer and the

“right fit” for you?• Create manageable, realistic, challenging tasks and

objectives

• Aim your requests to a target audience

• Screen potential volunteers to determine where their interests lie

• Create job descriptions, and provide the basic materials and training necessary to carry out the job

• Include continued training and opportunity for personal growth

• Be sure to determine if they want high or low responsibility

Create a professional structure for volunteerism

• Packet of “Volunteer Resource Materials” to help you get started

• Vital First Step: Locate a Volunteer Coordinator

• Contact our team – the packet has our contact information

• Lots of resource information available – a great source is the Plus 50 website

www.plus50.aacc.nche.edu

Pitfalls of Volunteerism

• Plus 50 volunteers have extremely busy lives: like any volunteers their commitment is of a different nature than paid staff

• Competing needs include vacations, grandchildren, the need to obtain paid employment and chronic or sudden illness

• A caveat: while volunteers want meaningful work, my experience reinforces that the majority of volunteers are not looking for high responsibility and may wish to take up and finish a task next week – or in two weeks, which can fall foul of your deadlines

AmeriCorpswww.americorps.org

• New legislation March 26, 2009

• Creation of $1,000 Fellowships for older adults

• Expands service opportunities for older Americans by expanding eligibility for the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs, introducing competition into the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to better position the program for expansion, and creating other opportunities for Baby Boomers and other older Americans to transition into post-career service opportunities.

Questions & Answers