Some highlights from the May 31 announcement of the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures BreakThrough Awards at the National Press Club:
- Darlene Stone, Vice President of Leesburg Regional Medical Center, described the assortment of flexible options and benefits they’ve created to attract 50+ workers and the workforce needs driving their strategy.
- Claire Altman, ReServe’s CEO , talked about the skepticism she encounters when recruiting employers to hire ReServists. She overcomes disbelief that talented people would work for $10 per hour (the “overqualified” concern) by introducing them to a ReServist who, after a successful career as a corporate HR professional is now directing HR for ReServe.
- Lester Strong, executive of the BELL Foundation, described the important work ReServists are doing for BELL, which is itself an award winning youth development program. BELL is looking to expand the 50+ workforce in what has traditionally been an organization with almost exclusively young employees.
- Shelly Glazer, who runs UC Berkeley’s Retiree Work Opportunities program, offered to share the temporary employment/recruitment website the university designed to create a way to easily bring back its retirees. Irma Smith, a Berkeley retiree who has had five consecutive assignments through the website, who described one of her postings to fill the gap during the medical leave of a permanent employee.
The announcement was accompanied by the release of a report from The Conference Board, “Boomers are Ready for Nonprofits, but are Nonprofits Ready for Them?” The BreakThrough report from the Metlife Foundation and Civic Ventures includes profiles of the 10 winners. Thanks to all the winners for the great work they do and to all the people who made the first BreakThrough awards a success. On behalf of all at Civic Ventures, our appreciation for your support of this effort to establish a new stage of work that will create dividends for America.