Giving back boosts sense of community for aging population

Aging in the workplace and the larger community presents unique opportunities, particularly in Linn County.

There is no shortage of ways to stay involved and engaged even as many aging adults begin to contemplate life’s next stage. As it turns out, the song “You Get What You Give” holds some truth after all.

Studies like the one published in 2019 by the Corporation for National and Community Service — an independent federal agency that directs U.S. volunteer programs — find that giving back yields immense benefits to overall health, including mental health, for aging adults. It also keeps them connected in ways they may not have otherwise experienced.

Whether it’s volunteer work like that offered by the United Way of East Central Iowa or employee resource groups like the Generations Network at Transamerica, the opportunities are ripe.

55+ Initiative makes finding opportunities easy

In some cases, getting started is the hard part. With so many opportunities to volunteer, option paralysis can make it difficult to get out of the starting gate.

Elizabeth Skaff and Meredith Hershner of United Way’s Community Impact Team focus their energy on helping prospective volunteers find their place with the 55+ Initiative.

“Really it’s our job to know what volunteer opportunities exist and make sure to connect volunteers who have those skills,” said Hershner, senior manager of community resource and volunteer engagement.

The 55+ Initiative offers a broad array of volunteer opportunities. To find the right fit for a volunteer, they first meet one-on-one to share more about their skills and interests. They are then presented with options and introduced to an agency they can volunteer for. They’re also provided any necessary training.

The process relieves some of the burden of searching for the volunteer, as well as finding the right volunteers for the agency. The result is an easy-to-navigate path from wanting to get involved to putting that “want” into action.

“Aging can be isolating sometimes,” Hershner said. “Volunteering can be a way to make an impact and give back, build your social network. You may find some skills and try something different.”

One of the most popular programs, sure to be busy in the coming months, is the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Many of its volunteers have a background in the financial industry, but that’s not true for all. They use their skills to help people file accurate tax returns, contributing to the financial stability of the community.

For volunteers who want to do something with their hands, the Wheelchair Ramp Accessibility program is also popular. It’s one of several programs the Collins Retired Volunteers of Iowa conducts, delivering assistive devices for people of different abilities.

“Volunteering is one of the best ways to build a sense of belonging. Especially because everybody needs help at certain points in their life, and everybody can help others at other points in their life,” said Skaff, community resource and volunteer engagement specialist.

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Bridging the generational gap

Transamerica has 12 employee resource groups that drive its teams’ common goals and shared interests while furthering an inclusive and diverse workplace. Among them is the Generations Network.

Like all of the employee resource groups, the Generations Network is the result of the imagination of employees. In 2018, they conceived of a group that would bring together people across generations to learn from each other and celebrate both their differences and commonalities.

Evette Creighton, director of talent, diversity and inclusion at Transamerica, says it’s common to have teams in the workplace that have people from multiple generations represented. Having them involved in this group helps them create a stronger bond in the workplace.

“Having a Generations Network creates the space for us to understand the differences across generations, the experiences that may have shaped those generations and help us understand each other,” Creighton said. “To break down those barriers and hear different perspectives gives them the opportunity to collaborate and helps us also as an organization keep a pulse on our diverse workforce.”

The group holds events throughout the year, hosting industry leaders and engaging in development sessions. Recently, it partnered with the Life Insurance Marketing Research Association to host an event examining the preferences of consumers across generations.

About 23 percent of Transamerica employees are members of at least one resource group, and 41 percent of those members are in multiple groups.

A byproduct of what occurs in the Generations Network is that employees begin to develop informal mentor-mentee relationships, public affairs director Hank Williams said.

“Younger employees want to learn about the business, or even have the support from older employees that realize they’re toward the end of their career and really want to extend that knowledge,” he said.