Volunteer Activities and Programs
Obtaining Information About Volunteer Opportunities
Information about volunteer opportunities can be obtained in various ways. Many Councils on Aging or senior centers provide information to elders about various local volunteer opportunities. Volunteer coordinators in senior centers can be particularly helpful as matchmakers when they are personally acquainted with both the would-be volunteer and potential assignments. Retirees from corporations that participate in the National Retiree Volunteer Coalition are able to obtain information about retiree volunteer programs developed through their former employers. Some newspapers regularly carry listings of volunteer opportunities. In some cases, volunteer opportunities for elders are listed separately. Nationally, the Points of Light Foundation identifies organizations throughout the country that serve as volunteer clearinghouses. These local agencies keep listings of volunteer opportunities and provide placement services for potential volunteers. A listing of local volunteer centers is available through the Points of Light Web site at: www.pointsoflight.org
FRANCIS G. CARO
See also EDUCATION; LEISURE; PRODUCTIVE AGING.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BRUDNEY, J. L. Fostering Volunteer Programs in the Public Sector: Planning, Initiating, and Managing Voluntary Activities. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.
CHAMBRE, S. M. Good Deeds in Old Age: Volunteering by the New Leisure Class. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books, 1987.
ELLIS, S. J., and CAMPBELL, K. N. By the People: A History of Americans as Volunteers. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1990.
FISCHER, L. R., and SCHAFFER, K. B. Older Volunteers: A Guide to Research and Practice. Newbury Park, Calif,: Sage, 1993.
MORRIS, R., and CARO, F. ‘‘The Young-old, Productive Aging, and Public Policy.’’ Generations 19, no. 3 (1995): 32–37.
MUSICK, M. A.; HERZOG, A. R.; and HOUSE, J. S. ‘‘Volunteering and Mortality among Older Adults: Findings from a National Sample.’’ Journals of Gerontology: Psychological and Social Sciences 54B, no. 3, (1999): S173–S180.
Additional topics
Medicine EncyclopediaAging Healthy - Part 4Volunteer Activities and Programs - Obtaining information about volunteer opportunities