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Features for Senior Citizens
Deadline Near on Civic Ventures Awards: Cash for
Older Innovators, Honor for Employers
Five $100,000 Purpose Prizes for over 60s who invent
ways to help society
 January 11, 2006 – The deadline is February 1 for
two awards by Civic Ventures - the 2007 Purpose Prize, cash
awards for Americans over 60 who are "leading a new age of social
innovation", and the "BreakThrough Award," that will honor nonprofits
and public sector agencies finding innovative ways to hire people over
50 or help them find meaningful jobs solving serious social problems.
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Features for Senior Citizens |
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In its second year, the Purpose Prize includes five
$100,000 investments and ten $10,000 investments in entrepreneurs in the
second half of life who are combining their passion, creativity and
experience to address issues of social significance.
Former President William Jefferson Clinton and
President George W. Bush, having both turned 60 in 2006, endorsed the
Purpose Prize.
"The Purpose Prize is a wonderful idea, a way to
showcase the idealism, creativity and power of people who finished their
midlife careers," said former President Clinton in remarks to the
first-year winners last month. "Civic responsibilities don’t end when
careers do. The Purpose Prize shows that there’s a new source of
strength and renewal in our communities and a great force for change in
our country."
President Bush recognized the Purpose Prize winners
for their "commitment to making a difference in our society" and for
"redefining the experience of aging."
Launched in December 2005 with funding from The
Atlantic Philanthropies and The John Templeton Foundation, the Purpose
Prize is part of an initiative to inspire millions of Americans to use
their experience for the greater good as they reach the stage of life
that was once called "retirement." The effort also includes a national
summit of experienced social innovators and a $1 million Fund for
Innovation that provides grants to expand the work of winners and
finalists.
The inaugural Purpose Prize winners, announced in
September 2006, included:
●
Conchy Bretos (age 61, Miami,
FL) for bringing assisted living services to public housing.
●
Charles Dey (age 75, Lyme,
CT) for engaging high school youth with disabilities in the world of
work.
●
Marilyn Gaston and Gayle Porter
(ages 67 and 60, Bethesda, MD) for empowering midlife African-American
women to improve their health.
●
W. Wilson Goode, Sr. (age 68,
Philadelphia, PA) for mentoring children of incarcerated parents.
●
Judea Pearl and Akbar Ahmed
(ages 70 and 63, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.) for fighting
intolerance, conflict and terrorism through dialogue and exchange.
To read more about the 2006 winners, visit:
http://www.purposeprize.org.
"The first Purpose Prize winners are defining
success in the new phase of life between the end of midlife careers and
the beginning of true old age," said Marc Freedman, founder and
president of Civic Ventures and author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers
will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America. "They represent the
beginning of an unprecedented movement of older adults in this country —
adults who have a deep desire to continue to contribute, to remain part
of the action, to harvest what they have learned from life in the middle
years and to apply it in ways that are not only personally meaningful,
but that mean something to the broader society."
The Purpose Prize is the first national award to
invest in social entrepreneurs over 60. "We hope to help provide the
support these innovators need to turn their experience and ideas into
large-scale solutions to our nation’s greatest challenges," Freedman
added.
Civic Ventures is accepting nominations, including
self-nominations, for The Purpose Prize at
www.PurposePrize.org. The site also includes more information about
the Prize (www.civicventures.org/jguide.cfm).
The Purpose Prize nomination period will close on
February 1, 2007. Finalists will be announced in the summer of 2007.
Winners, who will be selected by a jury comprised of more than 20
leaders in business, politics, journalism, the arts, and the nonprofit
sector, will be announced in September, 2007.
About the BreakThrough Award
The MetLife Foundation, which provides funding for
the award, partnered with Civic Ventures last year to conduct the first
national survey asking Americans in their 50s and 60s what type of work
they aspire to in the second half of life. Half of those polled
expressed interest in jobs to help improve the quality of life in their
communities, but most also said that finding such employment would not
be easy.
"The question of whether older Americans will
continue to work in what used to be called ’retirement’ is long settled.
The vast majority will," said Marc Freedman, founder and president of
Civic Ventures and author of Prime Time: How Baby Boomers will
Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America. "The real question is
whether nonprofit employers and public sector agencies will recognize
the value that experienced employees bring to the table and take steps
to recruit and retain them."
The BreakThrough Award will recognize new
approaches to employment for older adults that combine the spirit of
service with the benefits of work. Examples of such approaches might
include:
● nonprofit organizations that create new
part-time jobs to attract older adults seeking meaningful, flexible
work;
● organizations that recruit people over 50 and
match them with flexible-schedule jobs in social service and government
agencies;
● hospitals that offer seasonal-work positions
with full-year benefits to recruit and retain experienced nurses; or
● school districts that pay stipends to
experienced adults tutoring students in math and science.
"Organizations working in the public interest need
talented people. Millions of older adults want paying jobs that
contribute to the greater good," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO
of MetLife Foundation. "The BreakThrough Award will honor and showcase
organizations that are finding innovative ways to bring unmet needs in
the community and the untapped resource of older adults together."
Nominations are open until February 1, 2007, and
winners will be announced in Spring 2007. For details and to make a
nomination, visit:
www.civicventures.org/breakthrough.
Editor's Notes:
About Civic Ventures
Civic Ventures is a think tank and program incubator, working to help
society achieve the greatest return on experience. To learn more, visit
www.civicventures.org. For more information about The Purpose Prize
and its inaugural winners, visit
www.PurposePrize.org.
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to
bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and
vulnerable people through grant-making. Atlantic focuses on critical
social problems related to ageing, disadvantaged children and youth,
population health, and reconciliation and human rights. Programmes
funded by Atlantic operate in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the
Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam. To
learn more, visit
www.atlanticphilanthropies.org.
The John Templeton Foundation’s focus on the
human person is guided by Sir John Templeton’s unyielding optimism that
there is much to learn from examining scientifically the nature and
benefits of such spiritual principles as creativity, gratitude,
altruism, and purpose. From cutting-edge research that examines how
young people can acquire a sense of noble purpose in today’s world to
recognizing the contributions of "purpose pioneers" through a prize
program that honors innovative older adults who improve their
communities through their work and inspiring vision, the Foundation’s
efforts aim to promote the benefits of purpose throughout the lifespan.
To learn more, please visit
www.templeton.org.
About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on
its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community
involvement. In the area of aging, the Foundation funds programs that
promote healthy aging and address issues of caregiving,
intergenerational activities, mental fitness, and volunteerism.
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