For more information contact:
Marty Rotblatt
Director of Marketing & Development
860.951.6161 x16
marty.rotblatt@leadershipgh.org

Mailing Address:
30 Laurel Street
Hartford, CT 06106
click here for directions>

Telephone:
860.951.6161

Fax:
860.951.3685

August 6, 2010

Contact Information:
Marty Rotblatt
marty.rotblatt@leadershipgh.org
860.951.6161 x16

 

Making A Difference Has No Age Limit

Edna protested that she “wasn’t a leader, but just liked to get things done.”  One thing she “got done” was organizing a labor union at the school where she had worked before her retirement.  John, a retired teacher, wanted to get involved in ways that would also help him continue to learn.  Celestino volunteered for bus duty with the “Men of Color” and worked with youth groups in Frog Hollow, but felt he had more to give.  These Hartford residents and nearly 250 other retired adults joined the Third Age Initiative and found ways to put their time, energy and wisdom to work.

Research tells us that even after retirement, most Third Agers, defined as the period of life when work and family no longer are the primary focus, will enjoy several decades of active life.  And during those later years, increasingly people want to give back to their community, to enhance the life of their children and grandchildren.

In 1990, Leadership Greater Hartford introduced the Third Age Initiative, a year-long program for those who are retired or approaching retirement.  The program has received worldwide recognition as a model that helps older adults get involved in meaningful ways. Interactive workshops, community sampler tours and projects help participants become effective policy makers, change agents, program developers, and project managers. With support from the Samuel Roskin Trust and Beatrice Fox Auerbach Foundation Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the Third Age Initiative begins a new class on September 21, 2010.  Participants will include residents of Hartford and many other towns in the Hartford region.

As participants in earlier classes of the Third Age Initiative, Edna worked with a group to bring suburban residents into Hartford to enjoy the city. John was on a team that expanded programs and services at the Spanish Senior Center.  Celestino and his teammates developed a documentary about poverty that aired on Channel 5.  Other members of Third Age Initiative classes have developed programs to enhance children’s literacy, to tutor children who are homeless or in transitional housing, to redevelop Lozada Park, to help other retirees make meaningful choices in their later years, to provide life skills training for youth heading down the wrong path, and more.

Third Agers who believe they have more to give to the community, feel they can be more effective in positions currently held, and would like to learn and work with like-minded people who share their desire to be part of community solutions, may find that the Third Age Initiative is exactly the program they are looking for. Leadership Greater Hartford is planning a series of information sessions to help people learn more about the Third Age Initiative and meet others who are considering joining the new class. To reserve a place at a session or learn more about the program, call Leadership Greater Hartford, Doe Hentschel (Vice President) at 860.951.6161 x13 or Maggie Irving (Program Assistant) at x15.

 

Leadership Greater Hartford is one of the largest nonprofit community-based leadership organizations in the country.  Its programs are designed to help people realize their leadership potential and inspire them to build strong, vibrant workplaces and communities throughout Greater Hartford. Leadership Greater Hartford has served the community for more than 33 years.