Retirement & Volunteering Our Time

When this post was first written almost six years ago, it generated a lot of comments and follow up emails. The subject of volunteering is an important one for many retirees.  I thought it was worth a revisit, with some fresh thoughts from me. 

As the triple digit temperatures slowly leave Phoenix, my thoughts turn to more outside activities and involvement. Long time readers know I was involved with prison ministry for several years. It was challenging and satisfying work. I have worked as a tour guide at Frank Lloyd Wight's Arizona home, Taliesin West. For the last two years I have spent time on a United Way Steering Committee attempting to find new ways to help retirees find a good match volunteer opportunities.

Starting in two weeks I will begin teaching a Junior Achievement class to a group of 5th graders. I must have some of my mom's genes since teaching seems to agree with me.


 I Need You

I know many of you are active volunteers in all sorts of ways. So, I would deeply appreciate you responding in the comment section below with answers to any of these questions (if they apply to your volunteer situation):

1. What volunteer work do you do?
2. How did you decide this was a good fit?
3. Did try a few different things before you found one that fit you?
4. Have there been any drawbacks?

Like everyone else, I am very interested in learning about the wide variety of volunteer opportunities that exist for us. I bet there will be things I have never thought of that would be a tremendous way to give back to my community while feeling good about myself.

So, please, anything you do to help....let us know. Teaching Sunday school, walking a neighbor's dog because she can't, school crossing guard......it doesn't have to be as dramatic as working with prison inmates ,but it might be! Our society has more needs than we have volunteers.

Do you know someone who is an inspiration in this area but he or she doesn't normally read this blog? Could I ask you a favor:  would you ask them to come over this one time and tell us about what they do?

Let's build a list of your ways to give back and inspire someone to put a spark into their satisfying retirement.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Retirement Done Differently

Image
Last month, a reader suggested I explore the journey of retirees who have lived their life a little differently than many of us. That sounded like a fascinating idea. The problem? My retirement has been pretty standard. While I left the working world earlier than I had planned, I live in suburbia, have a steady life, and rather traditional goals for myself and my family. Something may go wrong at some time in the future, but I am not the person to ask about retirement done "differently." What I can do is share some examples of what a "different" retirement may look like. But, then, the real expert is you. Either you have approached this phase of life on a less-traveled path, or you know someone who has. This should be a an interesting learning experience for us all! I guess this is a natural followup to the previous post about retirement being a personal path. Examples of a Retirement Done Differently 1.  Retire to a foreign country Becoming an expat is the choice o
Read more

Retirement Blogs Worth a Look

Image
A week or so ago I noted the reasons why I blog. That made me think of all the very good people who are writing and publishing and freely available on the Internet. The ones I read on a regular basis are listed on the right sidebar. I encourage you to check them out if you haven't already done so. Every 8-9 months I update that roll call, adding some fresh ones, while removing those that no longer seem to be the best use of my time, or the blogger has stopped posting fresh content regularly. I decided it was time to search for some fresh choices for both you and me. Here is a list that may help you  discover some new blogs to add to your personal must-read list. Don't be surprised if some of these show up on my blog list, too.  I have grouped them by category to make it a bit easier. I hope you find them worthy of your consideration. Focus on Financial Iss ues The Retirement Cafe The Retirement Manifesto The Squared Away Blog Our Next Life A Wealth of Common Sense Focus on Lif
Read more

Retirement and Insurance: Do We Need It?

Image
When I retire do I need insurance is a  question that I am asked with some regularity.  Well, that should be simple.  You have retired. Your need for anything other than Medicare, auto, home or other health insurance is over, right? Not so fast.  There are at least five different insurance products that may be important to your retirement financial planning. Let's take a look at each one: Medicare Supplemental Insurance Medicare is a tremendous health insurance program for those 65 and older.  It is a blessing after years of dealing with the complicated mess that is the American health insurance system. Even so, you must be aware that Medicare does not cover some important expenses. The Original version usually covers only 80% of your expenses. While that seems quite generous, an expensive hospital stay or operation could means you are responsible for thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars in costs. Medicare does not pay for most drugs. It doesn't cover long term care.
Read more