Dan Hamilton

After retiring from Intel Corporation as a training specialist, I wanted to use my 30+ years of experience in my encore. I took advantage in 2013 of an opportunity offered by Intel in partnership with Encore.org, called the Encore Fellowships Network, to work in the nonprofit sector.

Little did I know that my year of commitment to the Sacramento, California Food Bank and Family Services would impact my life so profoundly.

As the adult-education technology assistant, I managed the day-to-day operation of the food bank’s computer lab, where our clients came to search for jobs, create résumés, research housing assistance and manage their social media accounts.

Since the majority of clients were jobless, and many homeless, I provided encouragement for them to persevere even in the constant presence of disappointing rejection. In my prior corporate work, I was a hiring manager and also taught customer service and soft skills classes. I tapped into that experience in an effort to educate the clients concerning their writing skills, their appearance (for interviews) and their communication skills to improve their chances to obtain a job.

My entire career was focused in corporate training and development. I had no prior knowledge of the nonprofit setting or the critical needs of the people served by the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. I experienced culture shock immediately in my role and can candidly say I learned more about the needs of the underprivileged than they learned from me, especially in the socio-economically depressed community we served.

Dan HamiltonAn objective I was tasked with was to assist my supervisor Shay Smith (pictured left) to create a Career Development Fair. The goal was to introduce our clients to local companies with job openings as well as entities offering community services. In the end, we successfully launched two career fairs, exposing many people to opportunities to improve their life situation.

The Encore Fellowship Program not only provided me with an opportunity to give back, but with a way to ramp down from an extremely fast-paced, high-stress work environment typical of the high-tech industry. The opportunity for former corporate employees to give back through nonprofit organizations will positively enrich your life and the lives of all who benefit from your expertise.

I treasure the year I spent as an Encore Fellow and cherish the fond memories I take away.

(Dan Hamilton was an Encore Intel Fellow in 2013.)