Ten years ago, on a whim, I decided to volunteer for my employer’s ‘job elimination’ effort. While my manager was reluctant to let me go, I knew the time was right to move away from my career in information technology.
For more than 25 years, I had worked in various positions and had lived through several complex corporate mergers - it was time for a personal change. With a generous separation package in hand, I spent one year exploring various possibilities through volunteer work and some paid assignments.
After finding an ad in a local paper, I was hired by HABcore, a local, grass-roots nonprofit, as Director of Fund Development.
My responsibilities are to raise funds, through grant writing, special events and direct appeals, to supplement the agency’s work of providing supportive housing to homeless and disabled individuals. At that time, the agency housed 54 individuals, most of whom were mentally ill, and employed 15 people. The agency’s goal was to furnish clients with the tools to reach the highest level of independent living.
While on the surface, this appeared to be a major shift from my career as an information technology manager, in reality it was a unique opportunity to lend my experience and skills to a very small organization doing a herculean job on a shoestring budget. The position provided me with an opportunity to change the lives of people who were down on their luck. On a personal note, it gave me the opportunity to develop new skills and expand my personal network. I was tired of the slow pace of large corporations and needed to renew my energy.
In the past 10 years, because of the grants I have written and the funding support I developed, along with the agency’s outstanding reputation, HABcore has grown from an agency that serves 54 to one that provides supportive housing for over 150 individuals, families and veterans. As a result, many homeless individuals have had their lives turned around and they have now become contributing members of the community.
What I’d like the world to know about older adults is that experience is a great equalizer. The ability to “roll up your sleeves” and do what has to be done will bring amazing results. Don’t be afraid to jump into uncharted waters - because of your experience, you know how to swim and, because you know how to swim, you can accomplish things you did not think were possible.