GIVE 5
Join the list for our next cohort!
Thursdays, Sept 19, 26, Oct 3, 10 & 17 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
What is Give 5?
Give 5 is a social program that matches innovative volunteer opportunities with retired (or almost retired) baby boomers ages 60+ who live in Boone County. Each Give 5 Class meets 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., one day a week for five weeks, visiting more than 20 nonprofits over the course of the program. Expect to have fun, make new friends, and learn about volunteer opportunities that match your talents, passions, and personality.
Why Give 5?
Give 5 is an innovative, community-based program that does all that – and more. Designed for Columbia and Boone County residents, the program provides a way for retirees and seniors to apply their talents and passions to our community’s primary areas of need. By doing so, it also ensures they continue to have purpose and relevance in their lives. This program offers a fun, social opportunity for participants to experience a “taste-testing” of the many and varied volunteer opportunities within our community. At the end of the program, it’s hoped participants will commit – at least short term – to “give five” hours a month one of the program nonprofits.
What if there was a program in Columbia & Boone County that would…
- match baby boomer retirees with unfilled volunteer opportunities in our community;
- address the issues of isolation, purpose, and relevance that retirees often confront by celebrating them and their contributions in a fun and social manner;
- introduce Boomers to new people and new ways of thinking via a shared experience and the bonding that occurs as a result, thus strengthening our community’s “bridging” social capital; and potentially, as a by-product, link individuals with their true passions within our community’s menu of non-profit organizations?
How Give 5 Works
Each class of 25 participates in five program days over five weeks. Program days last between six and seven hours, with lunch and snacks included. Day 1 includes an orientation.
Each day, participants board a bus to visit various nonprofit locations. At least one guide is with the class at all times and coordinates and guides each program day. Each class session is interactive, fun, and social. Visits to nonprofits allow participants to “see behind the curtain” to better understand the types of volunteer opportunities available. Each host organization is responsible for planning an interesting, interactive, and informative presentation to the Give 5 class.
After the last regular program day, participants are encouraged to commit to a volunteer opportunity. A short “graduation” celebration wraps up the program. Those who are ready to commit may do so via a “signing” ceremony at graduation.
Upon graduation from the Give 5 program, graduates become members of an exclusive “club” and are publicly celebrated and valued. These graduates intuitively become ambassadors for the myriad volunteer opportunities in the community and the Give 5 program.
Why Give 5 Works
With an army of skilled baby boomers already retired, and another wave of boomers retiring over the next few decades, the communities that figure out effective volunteer matchmaking will be the ones that thrive and offer the best quality of life.
Many communities have a wide variety of volunteer needs, such as ...
- nonprofits need access to experienced leaders and technical expertise
- children need mentors, access to education and safe havens.
- young professionals and entrepreneurs need mentorship and access to expertise, institutional knowledge, and wisdom.
- city and county governments need talented, passionate volunteers to serve on their boards and commissions.
- volunteers are needed to assist those most in need – the homeless, children, and the under-resourced.
Senior citizens and the coming wave of baby boomer retirees have a wide variety of skills and assets, including:
- experience
- expertise
- financial resources
- a desire to give back to their community
- and for the first time in their lives – time.
Give 5 focuses on:
- Celebrating … retirees and their contributions to our community.
- Transitioning … helping retirees disengage from their “work-life” – the only life most have ever known – and transition to learning to enjoy retirement, while also making retirement more fulfilling.
- Engaging … helping retirees find their true passion, and helping them connect with volunteer opportunities that match and feed their passions, ensuring they feel relevant.