Baby boomers seen as source of global volunteers

Volunteer agencies were urged yesterday to tap into the pool of aging and retiring baby boomers at a forum on international volunteerism at the Brookings Institution.

"There are a lot of former revolutionaries who are retiring in their 50s and have tremendous skill sets to offer," said Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, "and they want to make the most of the second half of their longer life spans."

He cited the exhortation of President Kennedy's inaugural address: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

The senator exhorted business firms to expand their support and "shared vision" for volunteerism and urged Congress to increase funding for government volunteer programs, such as the Peace Corps.

Rep. James T. Walsh, New York Republican and former Peace Corps volunteer to Nepal, voiced similar sentiment.

"There is a deep vein in our country for volunteerism."

The goal of the Brookings initiative is to double international volunteerism in three years, from 50,000 people to 100,000 people. Margaret Sherraden, researcher at the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, said relatively little is known about international volunteerism.

According to the Washington University center, nearly 1 million Americans volunteered abroad at least once in 2005, most of them for two weeks or less.

Young people ages 15 to 24 were the most frequent international volunteers, followed by those ages 35 to 44. Top volunteer activities included teaching; mentoring youth; general labor; fundraising; working with food, clothing or crafts; and providing professional or management assistance.

•	Baby boomers seen as source of global volunteers The Washington Times, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006 Byline: Cheryl Wetzstein, THE WASHINGTON TIMES