The following statements – from experts in the field of national service – comment on today’s Senate action, passing the Serve America Act. President Obama is poised to sign this bipartisan legislation, possibly as early as next week, that will expand national service opportunities for all and will – for the first time in decades – include new service opportunities for those who have finished their midlife careers.
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Statement from John Gomperts, president of Civic Ventures, former chief of staff of the Corporation on National and Community Service (AmeriCorps), and former CEO of Experience Corps:

“Most people think national service is for young people.  And it is.  But once President Obama signs this legislation, service will be for people of all ages.  That’s really quite revolutionary.  For the first time, federal legislation recognizes that a new stage of life and work follows midlife careers and that people in this stage of life need bridges and pathways to get from one stage to the next.  National service is often a pathway to work for young people.  Under this bill, national service will provide a pathway for those in midlife, too.  Encore Fellowships, perhaps the biggest innovation in this bill, provide people 55+ with a way to transition to careers in government and nonprofit service where they can continue to earn salaries, find the meaning many in this stage of life seek, and use their experience to help meet some of the toughest challenges we face today.  Given the problems in our nation right now, we can’t afford to waste their experience.  This legislation marks the beginning of a new story about how an aging society can use its experience to make a better society for us all.”

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Statement from Lester Strong, CEO of Experience Corps:

“The Serve America Act lays out the welcome mat for those in the second half of life who want to do vital work for the greater good.  This legislation dramatically increases the number of AmeriCorps slots, targets 10 percent of those slots for people over 55, provides scholarship dollars to those who serve 250 hours or more, and allows AmeriCorps members to transfer their education awards to their children and grandchildren.  All of these measures will encourage more people over 55 to serve, but more than that, these measures will encourage organizations to recruit more experienced people, create higher-impact volunteer opportunities for people 55+, form multigenerational service teams, and design new programs that take advantage of experience and talent.  Today 2000 Experience Corps members in 23 cities help 20,000 young students make dramatic gains in reading achievement.  As this legislation shows, legislators have learned to multiply a good thing when they see it.  In the years to come, Experience Corps’s numbers and impact will skyrocket.  And older Americans will be a big part of the solution to this nation’s literacy problem.”

About Civic Ventures (www.civicventures.org)
Civic Ventures is a national think tank on boomers, work and social purpose.

About Experience Corps
Experience Corps engages people over 55 in meeting their communities’ greatest challenges. Today, in 23 cities across the country, 2,000 Experience Corps members tutor and mentor elementary school students struggling to learn to read. Independent research shows that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth organizations succeed, and enhances the well-being of the adults in the process.

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