Volunteering provides older adults the opprtunity to get invloved in the community and can lead to possible employment.
Courtney Hornsby, West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell’s Chief of Staff, talked about the influence volunteering can have on older adults and organizations in today's society.
Hornsby explained that there are nonprofit organizations in the community that are struggling to find volunteers and many of the roles that are available can be filled by older adults.
“I think that one way these organizations can really have an impact on our community is to involve an untapped resource which are our older adults,” said Hornsby. “There are so many opportunities for older adults to get involved in different parts and aspects of these jobs. It’s not always being out and being in a physically demanding job.”
Some of the jobs Hornsby spoke about were jobs such as calling, data inputting and other miscellaneous tasks.
“There’s a great potential there for engagement on the nonprofit side and older adults, and I would love to see for us to bridge that gap,” said Hornsby.
Sharma agreed and suggested that older adults volunteering can prove to employers that seniors can work and still be productive at an older age.
“I think that could also address that the older a person gets, the less employable they are. So if they are volunteering in some case, potential employers can see the kind of job skills they bring to the workforce,” said Sharma.
People who volunteer commit to it because they feel a passion to help and for the rewarding feeling they feels after helping out, according to Hornsby.
Hornsby added that volunteering is a great way for older adults to meet new people and network.
“This is a perfect opportunity for them to get to meet people, further a skill they didn’t know they had and possibly lead to full-time employment,” said Hornsby.
