Baby Boomers have 'more to give'

September 12, 2:34 PMBaby Boomer ExaminerPaul Briand

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 Older Americans, including Baby Boomers, want to do more to help society but are hampered by a lack of time, the need to earn a living, and the lack of knowledge as to how and where they can be helpful, says AARP.

"The Boomers and the Silent Majority answered the call to serve at home and overseas as the first members of the Peace Corps and VISTA," AARP Chief Operating Officer Tom Nelson said. "Today, they're living longer, healthier lives, and they want to do more."

AARP released a report called "More to Give" to coincide with a national ServiceNation Summit that began yesterday and continued today in New York. ServiceNation's goal is to develop a blueprint for using volunteers to address some of the challenges facing society.

Both presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, participated yesterday by discussing their feelings about volunteerism. One of those discussions aired this morning on NBC's "Today" show (see video clip) with each candidate talking about ways to get people to volunteer. Obama wants a financial incentive, such as a college tuition credit, while McCain would prefer not to get government involved in a direct monetary role.

First Lady Laura Bush talked with NPR's "All Things Considered" about the volunteering she looks forward to once she (and George) leave the White House in January 2008 and return to Texas. NPR host Robert Siegel observed that it's not just young people, but the potential for Baby Boomers:

Siegel: "It's our generation. It's the baby-boom generation that's coming out. And people are interested in what folks in their 60s are going to be doing in their spare time."

Mrs. Bush: "Well, there are a lot of great programs already started to address this idea of retirement for older people. And I'm actually looking forward to being able to volunteer a lot when I retire. But there are some great ones: Education Service is the name of one that places older Americans in schools, working with struggling readers, and they have great results."

AARP reported it found that the spirit is there among Baby Boomers to volunteer, but there are some obstacles to moving the spirit, according to the report "More to Give" that it released yesterday.

More than half of the 1,012 adults between 44 and 79 said they want to help people in need, this at the same time 55 percent of the respondents said they worry they'll leave the world worse off than they found it.

Volunteering among the group age 55 to 62 would be enhanced, according to AARP, with two incentives: 1) an education award like a tuition credit that could be passed on to a child and 2) access to group health insurance.

Among the barriers:

-- 70 percent say they lack the time to volunteer;

-- 54 percent say they need to work for a living.

Among the type of volunteering they expressed an interest in:

-- Volunteering through faith-based or religious groups (45 percent),

-- By mentoring or tutoring young people (40 percent),

-- By helping older adults live independently (38 percent).