For the past 5 years I have been committed to developing Encore Palm Beach County, a nonprofit to connect people 50+ with new work and volunteer opportunities. It was my belief that we have an enormous number of people who have retired here who have the skills, education and experience to help solve social problems. We began by gathering information from area nonprofits on the volunteer positions they seek to fill on our website as well as links to all the volunteer job boards we could find.

It is well-known that thousands of people are turning 65 every day in our country and will for some time to come. And many of those people are moving to Palm Beach County. Almost 50% of our population is over 50 presently and growing. Researchers such as those at the Stanford Center on Longevity have documented the benefit of volunteer engagement to healthy aging. And because of medical advances, a person who retires at 65 could live another 20 to 30 years in retirement. A retirement of leisure can become boring after a while.

And yet, the level of volunteerism has declined among people 50+ for a variety of reasons. And this was prior to the Pandemic which has further limited in person volunteering. According to the Florida Nonprofit Alliance, although Florida is the third most populous state in the nation, we rank 44th in charitable giving and 50th for volunteerism.

The Pandemic will not last forever. Encore Palm Beach County is developing several approaches in 2022 to reaching people in Palm Beach County more effectively with the message that they are needed, where they are needed, and how they will benefit by volunteering with a more rewarding and interesting retirement. When I work with people planning for retirement, more and more I meet people who are looking for more meaning and purpose in their lives, and volunteering is one way to have it. To learn more about my work as a volunteer leader with Encore Palm Beach County, go to our website: https://www.encorepbc.org/.