Boomers take up volunteer work — if it matters

Days after retiring from a 31-year government career, Judi Cotner Montoya set about creating her next identity — community volunteer.

The 61-year-old Queen Anne resident knew what she wanted: a challenge that demanded the same energy as her old midmanagement job and used her skills in public speaking, mediation and management.

"I see retirement as a time to give back, explore my passions and see what lights me up," she said. "That's the beauty of it."

Cotner Montoya belongs to a new breed of older volunteers — baby boomers and the generation just ahead of them — who are skilled, mission-driven and looking for encore careers, not stuffing envelopes and licking stamps. Bill Gates and his switch from the business world into full-time philanthropy at age 50 is considered emblematic of the movement.

"They don't want to just go and volunteer," said Nancy Long, executive director of the nonprofit Executive Service Corps of Washington. "They want to make a difference. They want to see an impact of what they do."

Experts believe this growing pool of older adults has awesome potential, but they fear it will be wasted unless organizations can convince baby boomers that they should give back to society — and then follow that up with worthwhile opportunities.

A national campaign to make that happen is building across the country. Civic Ventures, a California-based think tank, is taking a lead role in promoting volunteerism among baby boomers.

One of its biggest initiatives is The Next Chapter, which helps communities mobilize older citizens.

A Next Chapter is forming in the Puget Sound area, with a mix of founding partners and sponsors that range from Antioch University to AARP to Weyerhaeuser.

Dozens gathered recently at Antioch as part of the start-up effort.

At the gathering, many baby boomers said they were eager to serve the community and make connections with each other. But they "had an absolutely allergic reaction" to being called seniors or elderly, Long said.

"It makes it very hard to address a population if you can't talk about age," she said. "For a lot of people it's not about age, it's about transition."

Meanwhile, established civic-interest groups are also trying to recruit baby boomers.

"Wagging the finger isn't going to work. Guilting people into it isn't going to work," said Liahann Bannerman, director of the volunteer center for United Way of King County. Rather, volunteering has to have a payback — a chance to meet people, say, to apply skills or to work in an exciting venue.

Nurturing civic-mindedness can make a difference for nonprofits and other organizations scrambling for volunteers.

"I talk about legacy, I talk about vision," said Theresa McEwen, a volunteer coordinator for Seattle Parks & Recreation, where at least half of the community leader-volunteers are over age 50. "You have to come across with a lot of integrity and a lot of respect."

The volunteer is the backbone of the state's Long Term Care Ombudsman program, which recently began recasting the ombudsman job in ads.

Now it's called a significant challenge that's not for the faint of heart and requires a lot of "vitality."

And instead of saying ombudsmen advocate for the rights of residents in long-term care, they are now described as advocates for the civil rights of elders and persons with disabilities.

Bringing attitude

It's assumed that a baby-boomer ombudsman, in contrast to the older and polite World War II generation of volunteers, will be more likely to challenge authority — a desirable trait when it comes to insisting on quality care.

Indeed, attitude often distinguishes these new older volunteers. "They say, I want you to deal with me as a person who is unique," said Denise Klein, director of Senior Services. "They may not be as interested in plugging into a one-size-fits-all program."

But for all their potential, baby boomers in general do not have the stellar track record of their parents when it comes to civic service or voting, according to a 2004 report on "Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement" by Harvard University and Metlife Foundation.

Some are burned out on the job but have to keep working. Some are sick of volunteering and just want to have fun. Some are simply stuck.

"They want to do something new and different, but they don't know what," said Sandra Wallace, who teaches a life-transitions class at Bellevue Community College. "They're really picky."

"A feel-good thing"

Engineer Rick Thompson was a King County drainage inspector before retiring at age 50 in 2000. Inspired by his parents, who volunteered after they retired, he took classes to become a native-plant steward who educates the public about the environmental benefit of maintaining native growth.

He also works with high-school kids on Earth Day, directs fundraising for the Washington Native Plant Society and participates in its work parties — "digging, weeding, planting."

"It's a feel-good thing. It's nice to know your opinion is respected. I designed and helped build a nursery we manage at Magnuson Park."

Cotner Montoya, the Queen Anne retiree, didn't have much time to volunteer when she was working, except for the normal parental responsibilities of PTA and Camp Fire activities.

When her child entered college, her volunteering stopped. Retirement is allowing her to rediscover it.

"I'm still exploring places to go and have a wonderful time doing it," she said. "It's just so cool."

Already, she works at the AARP fraud hotline, promotes the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at public-speaking engagements and is training to be a long-term-care ombudsman. She schedules one volunteer activity a day and puts on makeup, gets dressed and goes out the door — "sort of like you're going to work."

That way she feels productive, and also more in control of her life.

Marsha King: 206-464-2232 or mking@seattletimes.com