Feeling Retired From Life? Give Back to Get Back Into It!
“After I retired at age 62, I spent two years watching ‘Judge Judy’ on the couch while my wife kept up with her bowling league and church volunteering. She’d come home and tell me: ‘You’re not happy, you don’t know what to do with yourself.’ And she was right. So, I went out and found part-time work to get me back into life’s purpose”—SCAN Member Eugene L.
Eugene found what many older adults discover in retirement: Without a job to go to, and with the kids raised and on their own, it’s easy to lose your reason to get up and out every day. But as Eugene happily discovered, being retired doesn’t have to mean retiring from life. There are many ways to stay connected and active and to find a renewed sense of purpose. One of the best ways is by giving back.
Now 82, Eugene works as a crossing guard in his neighborhood, helping parents and children get to and from school safely. He says the job is rewarding in several ways: The schedule gets him out the house and provides daily exercise. Perhaps most important, “I’m back in life’s flow and contributing an important service to the community.”
SCAN member William S., 76, has also found purpose in volunteer work that benefits children He says he and the other seniors in the Compton Hunting and Fishing Club love to introduce local youth to outdoor experiences. Last July, William was chairman of the club’s youth expo, where kids from Compton, Calif., could play fishing games and learn about the outdoors from the club’s members.
The options for volunteering are as endless as the need for help. Maxine M., a SCAN member and one of our Senior Advocates, volunteers with the police department in Anaheim, Calif. As part of the department’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Maxine and her husband wear special uniforms and patrol designated areas in volunteer-marked patrol cars. She says their job is “to look out for problems, chat with folks, give out stick-on badges to kids and show a friendly police presence.”
If you’re thinking about volunteering but don’t know where to start, you don’t have to look very far. Eugene, William and Maxine found meaningful ways to help themselves and others right in their backyards.
Need help finding volunteer opportunities in your area? Start here:
Maybe you’ve already heard about how you can connect with other SCAN members through our Learning Communities social groups and educational, health and wellbeing classes.
But did you know that Learning Communities is also an opportunity for you to share your expertise and passion with other members as a volunteer leader? We’d love to hear about a class or group you’d like to lead. Call 1-562-989-5292 or email togetherness@scanhealthplan.com.
Eugene found what many older adults discover in retirement: Without a job to go to, and with the kids raised and on their own, it’s easy to lose your reason to get up and out every day. But as Eugene happily discovered, being retired doesn’t have to mean retiring from life. There are many ways to stay connected and active and to find a renewed sense of purpose. One of the best ways is by giving back.
Now 82, Eugene works as a crossing guard in his neighborhood, helping parents and children get to and from school safely. He says the job is rewarding in several ways: The schedule gets him out the house and provides daily exercise. Perhaps most important, “I’m back in life’s flow and contributing an important service to the community.”
SCAN member William S., 76, has also found purpose in volunteer work that benefits children He says he and the other seniors in the Compton Hunting and Fishing Club love to introduce local youth to outdoor experiences. Last July, William was chairman of the club’s youth expo, where kids from Compton, Calif., could play fishing games and learn about the outdoors from the club’s members.
The options for volunteering are as endless as the need for help. Maxine M., a SCAN member and one of our Senior Advocates, volunteers with the police department in Anaheim, Calif. As part of the department’s Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Maxine and her husband wear special uniforms and patrol designated areas in volunteer-marked patrol cars. She says their job is “to look out for problems, chat with folks, give out stick-on badges to kids and show a friendly police presence.”
If you’re thinking about volunteering but don’t know where to start, you don’t have to look very far. Eugene, William and Maxine found meaningful ways to help themselves and others right in their backyards.
Need help finding volunteer opportunities in your area? Start here:
- Check your local government website. Your city may need youth sports coaches, fire auxiliary members, theater ushers or event ambassadors, for example.
- Volunteer listing websites, like volunteermatch.org, americorps.gov and idealist.org, will match opportunities to your location, skills and interests.
- Are there organizations whose causes you support? If you’re a nature lover, for example, you can participate in the local chapter of an organization like the Sierra Club.
- Community organizations are always in need of volunteers, so consider contacting your local schools, hospitals, churches and museums and asking what kind of help they need.
Maybe you’ve already heard about how you can connect with other SCAN members through our Learning Communities social groups and educational, health and wellbeing classes.
But did you know that Learning Communities is also an opportunity for you to share your expertise and passion with other members as a volunteer leader? We’d love to hear about a class or group you’d like to lead. Call 1-562-989-5292 or email togetherness@scanhealthplan.com.
