Volunteering: Find The Time

Baby Boomers, we want you.
That’s the call being put out to the post-World War Two generation as that group of 78 million people nears retirement age.
It’s a cry elicited by a variety of non-profit organizations as they seek ways to accomplish their volunteer mission in an era of government funding cuts and self-centered attitudes
These charities see Baby Boomers as their best hope. We are a large number of people with an activist past who show no signs of letting up as we cruise through our 50s and 60s. There is a restlessness rumbling through our generation’s soul. A feeling in our gut that we didn’t finish the job we started in our youth. A subterranean desire to step up as our children leave home and we slip out of the everyday work force. The shuffle board court is not in our future. Perhaps volunteering should be.
The need in our nation is great. Non-profit agencies need more help than ever. Yet, in 2005, less than one-third of American adults volunteered their time. With that in mind, the Corporation for National and Community Service has launched a campaign to increase the nation’s number of volunteers from 65 million to 75 million by 2010.
Not surprisingly, non-profit organizations are eyeing Baby Boomers as that army of the future. They expect the number of volunteers over the age of 65 to rise 50 percent by 2020. It could top out in 2029 when the youngest Boomers reach traditional retirement age.
So far, our generation is off to a good start. In December 2006, the community service corporation reported volunteering in the United States had reached a 30-year high, jumping 32 percent between 1989 and 2005. Baby Boomers are leading the charge. Almost 31 percent of Boomers between the ages of 46 and 57 are volunteering, the best percentage of any age group in the country.
In addition, Boomers and other older Americans are putting in more time once they do sign up. In 2006, the average volunteer over the age of 55 was donating 226 hours a year compared to 132 hours annually by volunteers aged 30 to 39.
Think of the good that could be done if we, as a generation, gave our time. Even if only 25 percent of Baby Boomers volunteered, that would be almost 20 million people helping others in need.
There is probably no greater need for volunteers than in education. Our schools have had their budgets slashed for two decades. Classrooms are overcrowded. Teachers are overwhelmed. Supplies are dwindling. Schools are desperate for assistance. A wave of older citizens marching to the rescue would be most welcome. In fact, I’d like to propose a “10 percent solution.” I’m calling on 10 percent of the Baby Boom generation to enlist. To volunteer at least two hours a week at one of their local schools. Imagine what nearly 8 million volunteers fanned out across the country could do for our nation’s schoolchildren.
I have begun to do my part. This week, I started volunteer efforts in the Emeryville School District a few miles from my home in the San Francisco Bay Area. I taught a 2-hour SAT prep class for six high school seniors who are hoping to score well enough on that assessment exam to get into a good college.
Emeryville schools are an inspiring story. In 2001, the district was bankrupt, taken over by a state administrator. Since then, the citizens and business owners have approved not one, but two, parcel tax measures for their schools. The district is now back on its financial feet and the community has regained local control.
Emeryville is a small city. There’s only two schools – a kindergarten through sixth-grade campus and a 7-12 secondary school. Only 38 seniors were in the 2007 graduating class. There are many low-income students who are on the edge of success. One helping hand or a few hours of mentorship could make the difference.
I’m hoping to provide that margin, at least to a handful of teen-agers. I urge my fellow Baby Boomers to do the same. Find an educational need and fill it.
President Kennedy challenged us to embark on such a mission in our childhood. In his 1961 inaugural address, he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” It is time to heed his call.