A new era of national and community service promises to engage Americans of all ages in tackling the unprecedented economic challenges we face, as well as crises in health care, the environment and education.
National service has long been a pathway to "good work" for young people. A new bill in Congress, the Serve America Act, strengthens national service as a pathway to encore careers – a new stage of work emerging between the end of midlife careers and true old age.
This new legislation would give Americans across generations more opportunities to invest in our nation's recovery through service.
Millions of boomers are interested in finding encore careers that offer the chance for both significant contribution and continued income. With the Encore Fellows program and other provisions, Serve America will open more doors for people who have finished their midlife work to use their experience to transform education, reduce poverty, improve health care and protect the environment.
In a statement of support, the Obama administration said this bill "has called upon Americans from all walks of life to take part in civic renewal." Join us in thanking President Obama for standing behind this valuable legislation and recognizing the importance of national service opportunities for all generations.
Dear President Obama,
We applaud your support for the Serve America Act, a bipartisan bill that paves the way for a major expansion of national service opportunities for people of all ages.
The bill places public service at the center of the new stage of work that is emerging between the end of midlife careers and true old age, calling on people who have finished their midlife work to use their experience to transform education, reduce poverty, improve health care and protect the environment.
The creation of "Encore Fellowships" -- one-year positions tailored to people at, or near, the end of their midlife careers and who want to move into long-term encore careers in the nonprofit or public sector -- recognizes the importance of capturing the experience of people over 50 to meet our national needs.
A final version of the Serve America Act, coauthored by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- along with its similar House version known as the GIVE Act -- is expected to soon be on your desk.
Your endorsement of this bill and its call upon Americans from all walks of life to take part in civic renewal is a ringing call to action for all generations.
[Your Comments]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
