Volunteer Opportunities

RSVP - Transforming Retirement through Volunteer Service Today’s retirement is very different than it was for earlier generations.  For a growing number of pensioners, retirement is a liberating experience filled with opportunities and freedoms never before available.  Traditional retirement— an endless weekend of leisure spent in a Sunbelt state with a good book or golf clubs by your side— is rapidly becoming an antiquated concept.  People are living longer, healthier lives, and many find they want and need something to do besides golf and travel.  In fact, the group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons recently realized that most of their members were still working or active in their communities.  Now, the group prefers to be known simply by the initials AARP.

Retirees have an eagerness to be productive and to make a difference in the lives of others.  Many local seniors are capitalizing on their post-retirement freedom by moving in new directions as community volunteers:

• At age 90, Mr. L could be forgiven for choosing to rest on his laurels and enjoy a peaceful retirement.  Instead, he wakes up every morning with a purpose.  He works as a volunteer with the Arizona Veteran’s Health Care System.  “I volunteer because I love giving back to my community,” Mr. L said.  Mr. L has been an active volunteer in the community for more than 17 years.  “Volunteering is also good therapy for me. It keeps me active and mentally alert, which is helping me live a longer and happier life.  I have also met many wonderful people, and formed many special friendships, through my volunteer work,” he added. 
• Mrs. V, age 79, is also among those unwilling to sit still.  She has been an active volunteer since her retirement in 1989.  “Many of us, whatever our age, have got to go on.  Our minds are still there. We want to have the fun of learning new things and helping other people.  It’s in us – it’s in all of us,” she reflected.  Mrs. V intends to keep volunteering for many years because she wants to keep healthy and active.

Each year, thousands of dedicated senior citizens like these two share their lifetime of talent, interests and experience to achieve results in their communities.

“We used to think that only healthy seniors served as volunteers, but now we know that volunteering helps keep seniors healthy,” said Dan Duncan, United Way Senior Vice President of External Relations. The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research has found a significant connection between volunteering and good health. The report shows that volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease (when compared to their counterparts who do not volunteer).

This research suggests that volunteering is particularly beneficial to the health of older adults and those serving 100 hours annually. According to the report:

• A study of adults age 65 and older found that the positive effect of volunteering on physical and mental health is due to the personal sense of accomplishment an individual gains from his or her volunteer activities.
• Another study found that volunteering led to lower rates of depression in individuals 65 and older.
• A Duke study found that individuals who volunteered after experiencing heart attacks reported reductions in despair and depression – two factors that have been linked to mortality in post-coronary artery disease patients.
• An analysis of longitudinal data found that individuals over the age of 70 who volunteered approximately 100 hours had less of a decline in self-reported health and functioning levels, experienced lower levels of depression, and had more longevity.
• Two studies found that the volunteering threshold is about 100 hours per y.jpgear, or about two hours a week. Individuals who reached the threshold enjoyed significant health benefits.

“It is evident that helping others makes retirees happier and healthier.  The studies show that for retirees, adding life to your years can add years to your life,” Duncan added.

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is one of the largest local volunteer programs and engages between 450 and 500 seniors in volunteer activities each year.  Volunteers in the RSVP come from every imaginable type of background: teachers, housewives, business owners, mechanical engineers and the military, to name a few.  Some have lived here all their lives.  Others have moved here recently.  Their common characteristic is a desire to make their lives more meaningful by helping others.

Cecilia Salaz, director of the Pima Council on Aging’s RSVP initiative said, “I have worked with RSVP for over 35 years and have happily witnessed many positive outcomes that have both benefitted our community and enriched the lives of our volunteers.  There are so many wonderful volunteers in our community who are committed to meeting our community’s greatest challenges.”

For almost four decades, RSVPs, who range from age 55 to 95, have contributed nearly three million hours of service to the Tucson community.  Even at minimum wage, this translates into more than $20 billion dollars worth of service to our non-profit sector.  “As you can see,” continued Ms. Salaz, “the monetary value of the service our volunteers provide speaks for itself, but the value of the personal rewards given back to the volunteers is immeasurable.  They gain enormous satisfaction by sharing with others what they have learned through their lifetime.  It’s a win-win-situation!”

Ms. Salaz added, “Volunteer work enables mature citizens to socialize with new people, which helps them feel engaged in the community and less isolated. It also gives seniors the incentive and motivation to get out of bed, out of the house and to stay connected to our active, busy world.  They gain a sense of personal achievement each day, knowing they were able to help someone else.”

Volunteering Opportunities

• Many seniors enjoy working with children.  Mr. H, age 72, felt a compelling need to help children after he retired.  He knew that there were dangers in the community, and he wanted to dedicate his time to helping local law enforcement keep children safe.  So, he became a fingerprinting volunteer with the Pima County Sheriff’s office. “I know that I am making a difference because fingerprint records can help find lost children and may even save a life,” Mr. H said.  He added, “I just love my work!  It fills my need to give back to the community.  I also feel it is important to assist sheriff personnel with fingerprinting so they can be free to address other important issues.”   
• Jim Harris is one of the many Experience Corps volunteer who works as a literacy coach.  He visits local schools and helps young children improve their reading skills.  “I was working with one boy last year who couldn’t even read simple words like ‘the’ or ‘and,’” Jim said. “Now, he is reading at a first grade level. The way the child smiled after reading his first complete sentence is something that I will never forget,” Jim added. When Jim leaves the school, he walks out with a sense of pride because he knows that he is a consistent role model for young children in our community. “I’ve always heard people say, ‘If you want to feel happier, go and help other people,’” Jim said.  “They were right.  This is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had.  I’d recommend it to anybody!”

“Experience Corps is an exceptional intervention,” said Dr. Lynette Patton, principal of Centennial Elementary School.  “The number of volunteers who work as a team and the frequency of their visits make a real impact on our students.  Experience Corps members are flexible, dependent and motivated to enhance the wellbeing of our students.  They have earned the trust of our teachers and students because of their commitment and consistency.  Experience Corps volunteers are an asset to our school and we are all the better for it.”

Other volunteers find fulfillment by assisting the elderly through Interfaith Community Services and other organizations.  Hundreds of volunteers from local congregations and neighborhoods provide information about senior services, drive seniors to appointments, make daily check-up phone calls, walk dogs and assist with yard work and other care-giving tasks through the Neighbors Care Alliance administered by Pima Council on Aging.

Volunteers Do Many Things...

• Deliver a meal.
• Help harvest and distribute food and produce.
• Teach a child or adult to read.
• Care for an infant.
• Work with needy animals.
• Visit a new friend in a nursing home.
• Help the environment.
• Patrol a neighborhood.
• Assist with needed office work.
• Be a docent in a museum or visitors center.
• Assist a senior with transportation.
• Provide program-specific training.
• Entertain at senior center and special events.
• And much more....

You can find more volunteers opportunities through the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona. The Volunteer Center is an extraordinary resource that provides a central website listing hundreds of opportunities for meaningful volunteer service in Tucson and Southern Arizona: www.volunteersoaz.org.  Their motto is “Taking Time to Change the World.”

Many people planning to leave the workforce think of retirement as an opportunity to launch an exciting, dynamic phase in life by starting over in a new direction.  Pursuing unpaid work that fulfills a passion by volunteering for something you care about is a powerful way to enrich your own life and improve the quality of life for others in the community.

THE END OF A CAREER can be the perfect time for a new start.