Your career may be over, but the lifetime of skills you’ve acquired can still be put to great use through the RSVP program – Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Anyone 55 and over can participate. Teachers, cooks, scientists, nurses, community organizers, homemakers, sales people — whatever you’ve been doing, you can parlay your knowledge and love of people into a new realm by volunteering.
RSVP is a nationwide project of the federal Corporation for National Service, which is run through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the country. Here in New Jersey, Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Central NJ in Elizabeth has received the federal grant to be the coordinator for all of the Union County RSVP projects. Examples of opportunities for volunteer work include tutoring, assisting victims of natural disasters, and providing services in libraries, red cross, camps, afterschool programs, vocational training centers, family counseling centers, food pantries, and more. If you live outside of this area, you’ll certainly be able to find an RSVP project in other counties (or states) that would appeal to you.
It’s common knowledge by now that staying engaged with the outside world and learning new things as we age will help keep our minds sharp and contribute to a “good old age.” In fact, last night, at the Jewish Family Service annual meeting, one of the people who received Volunteer of the Year awards for long-term volunteer service was decades beyond the typical retirement age. Of course, one is never too young to start volunteering – the youngest award recipient had just “graduated” from in kindergarten!
Call us for legal advice on planning for a good old age, and all aspects of estate planning and elder law … 732-382-6070