Inspiring Opportunities is a weekly email from Coming of Age for people 50+ who are making a difference in the world, in their communities and in their lives.

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What's New
Have We Got a Volunteer Opportunity for You!
Inspiring Stories
This Week


 
Saturday is Earth Day!
Here's a list of events happening in the area. See This Week below for additional opportunities.


The Zimmers, a band where the average member is 78, just cut a new video at Abby Road Studio to help raise awareness about the plight of the elderly in England. The Zimmers' version of "My Generation" has caught on like wildfire on the internet.


Retire or Start a Business?
According to a new study 76 percent of baby boomers intend to keep working in their retirement years. As part of a growing trend, many are planning to start their own business. Coming of Age founding partner AARP gives us a helpful article on the topic with links to additional resources. CNN.com offers a quiz for boomers on whether you are ready to be an entrepreneur. And take a look at the Philadelphia Entrepreneur Week website for events in the area.



New Volunteering Report
A new report from the Corporation for National and Community Service gives a breakdown of America's volunteering habits by region and state. In case you're wondering how we compare to other states, PA, NJ and DE were ranked 27th, 37th and 41st respectively, with volunteering rates of 30%, 26% and 25%. Utah was ranked first with 46% and Nevada was last with 17.5% —Think everyone is too busy playing slots?


It's a Beautiful Day in the Gayborhood
No world-class city should be without one. New street signage will designate a portion of Philadelphia's Center City District as the city's official gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-sensitive neighborhood.


IPod Hearing Aids? Huh?
Here's an odd piece from Advertising Age, proposing that to cater to the deep pockets of aging boomers, the advertising world should market "cool, branded and pricey" items such as Donna Karen walkers, Harley wheelchairs and IPod hearing aids.


New Boomer Blog
Elkins Park poet Deborah Fries started a new blog recently, where she explores the good things that last from a Boomer perspective.


Coming of Age Initiative Launching in Delaware
Watch Willo Carey, Executive Director of WHYY's Wider Horizon, a founding partner of Coming of Age, discuss the new Coming of Age Delaware initiative.


  If you know of a volunteer opportunity in the Greater Philadelphia area that you would like featured here, email details to havewegot@comingofage.org. You can also find one-time volunteer opportunities below under “This Week.”


This Week's Featured VISTA Opportunity
Make a real difference. Spend a year of service in Boston helping poor kids thrive as a community outreach coordinator for Cradles to Crayons. A living allowance and other benefits are provided. Learn More


Save Lives
Over 5000 people in our region alone are waiting for a second chance at life. Learn more about how you can help. If you haven't already done so, please sign up here to be a donor.


Volunteer at the Philadelphia Book Festival
They're still looking for Festival Volunteers for this weekend. You must commit to at least one 4-hour shift.  Phone (215) 686-5340 volunteer@library.phila.gov


Befriend an Older Adult
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia seeks volunteers to befriend and assist elderly adults with everyday activities such as shopping, driving to appointments and help with paperwork. Contact Meryl Stern at (215) 628-3146.


Help with the Adopt-A-Family Program
The Salvation Army seeks volunteers with good organizational skills and a flexible schedule to help coordinate the Adopt-A-Family program. Training is provided. Contact Jeffrey Jordan at (215) 787-2819.



 
Holocaust Survivor Saved Students Lives
Liviu Librescu, who survived the Nazis, gave up his own life at Virginia Tech to save his students.


A 64 year old Grandmother Blogs from Baghdad
Jane Stillwater, "a self-described Berkeley flower child, 40 years later" saved her money for months to travel to Iraq to report from the war zone. Here's the story and here's her blog.


2007 Women of Courage: Women of Inspiration Awards
The awards recognize Philadelphia-area women who have courageously overcome difficult situations and have found the spirit to change the lives of others and make a difference in our communities. View this page to see this year's award winners or buy tickets to the award ceremony on May 16th.


  We list events and opportunities here we think will interest people 50+ who want to make a difference. If you know of such events, please send us information. If you attended an event you learned about here, please send us a review.





It's TV Turnoff Week
Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Week
Events will be held throughout the week on topics such as empowering the disadvantaged and starting your own business.




Earth Day
All Day
Celebrate our planet and keep her healthy. Here's a list of events.

Philadelphia Book Festival
All Day
Celebrate reading, writing, and publishing this spring at the first annual Philadelphia Book Festival.

The Great Pennsylvania Cleanup
An ambitious statewide effort to remove litter and trash from Pennsylvania's roadways, parks, forests, riverbanks, neighborhoods, and open spaces. Click the link above to find an event near you.

Town Meeting on Childhood Obesity
9am at Temple University
This meeting unites local citizens, business leaders, and decision-makers to help resolve the crisis of childhood obesity.

Urban Home-Greening Bike Tour
10am at the White Dog Cafe
Meet at the White Dog for muffins and coffee, then hop on your bike to visit nearby sites where folks are taking “do-it-yourself” steps to decrease their environmental impact and increase their quality of life.

Earth Day Benefit Concert
12 noon at the World Cafe, University City




Philadelphia Book Festival
All Day
Celebrate reading, writing, and publishing this spring at the first annual Philadelphia Book Festival.

The Transformative Power of Community Based Public Art Partnerships
11am in Center City
A panel discussion on the power of art partnerships, moderated by University of the Arts President Miguel Angel Corzo, followed by a bus ride to a new mural opening ceremony and reception.



Philadelphia Cohousing Group Meeting
7pm in Center City
This is a group looking to start a cohousing community in the Philadelphia area. For more information contact Lynne Iser (215) 843-4933. (Lynne developed the Creating Community section of the Coming of Age website and is that section's guide.)



The Journey to Freedom: Healing the Racial Divide
7pm in Northwest Philadelphia
The Mt. Airy Learning Tree offers a course "grounded in the insight that before we can come together, we must see ourselves as one."



Circle of Entrepreneurs Business Breakfast
8:30am in Center City
The Sustainable Business Network is organizing this breakfast as part of the Philadelphia Entrepreneurship Week. They will discuss key issues related to running a business that reflects respect for the community, the environment and the entrepreneur's personal values.  

Is Economic Mobility Possible for Low Income Families?
7pm in Center City
Economics and poverty specialists discuss the challenges that keep low-income families from getting higher-paying jobs.



Mayoral Candidate Forum
6:30pm in Center City
Hear the mayoral candidates' plans for affordable housing, health care and a living wage.

Saving the World
8pm in Center City
Julia Alvarez, author of the best-selling novels How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies, discusses her new book Saving the World, a story of two women, centuries apart, whose lives are tied to idealistic men and the medical crises (smallpox, AIDS) of their times.



Jazz Fundraiser for Lutheran Settlement House
Holy Grounds Coffee House at Christ Ascension presents an evening of Jazz Music with the band Standard Time. There will be homemade baked goods, gift baskets to be raffled off, and great coffee for all.

Opening of The Exonerated
8pm in Northwest Philadelphia
This play asks what it means to be truly exonerated – to be proclaimed innocent after having been convicted of a crime.

MORE ON BOOMERVISION!^® 2007


What's So Great About Growing Older?
Featuring Dr. Bill Thomas, whose revolutionary insights and vision are having an enormous impact on the way we age and think about aging. Join a studio audience at WHYY on Monday, May 7, 5:30pm. To register call (215) 351-0511.
Learn More.



SPONSOR:




VISTA is looking for experienced, energetic individuals who want to make a full-time, year long commitment to fight poverty. If you’re retiring soon, already there, or want to take a year off for a year of service, VISTA may be for you. Living allowances and other benefits are provided. More About VISTA

See this week's featured VISTA opportunity under "Have We Got a Volunteer Opportunity For You."