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Bill Novelli is CEO of AARP, a membership organization of 40 million people age 50 and older, half of whom remain actively employed. AARP’s mission is to enhance the quality[…]

We have an obligation to give back through service work.

Question: Do we have a duty to do public service work?

Bill Novelli: I think we do have an obligation. But I think it’s . . . it’s deeper than that. I think people want to give back. And you see this at virtually . . . in virtually every generation. I mean when we talk about the World War II generation, look what they gave back. We talk about the boomers . . . You know and somebody wrote a book called “Bowling Alone”. And the thesis was that boomers are not going to have social capital. They’re not going to give back. I think that’s wrong. I think what’s happening is we’re seeing now that as boomers get older they want to give back. They’re into things like care giving, which are so important. They’re . . . they’re giving political contributions and social contributions to their churches, and their synagogues, and their universities. What we need for them now is to . . . is to rev up that activism that they had when they were young.

Recorded on: 9/27/07

 

 


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