by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman

The first of 78 million baby boomers turned 60 in 2006-- the generation that John F. Kennedy challenged to ask themselves what they can do for their country.

Now they are the largest, healthiest, and best educated generation of Americans ever to move beyond 60.  Those over 55 will grow to 108 million in 2030.

In the 20th century, the average US lifespan has grown 30 years.

Never before have so many people had so much knowledge and time. Civic Ventures, a non-profit organization at the forefront of the movement to motivate boomers to give back, tells us that experience is the only growing natural resource.  That 50% of those between 50 and 70 want to work. They want to be trained for encore careers and they want some income.  They want to go from doing well to doing good.

Five states—Arizona, California, Maryland, Massachusetts and New York --are leading the efforts to deal with legislative policies to help boomers train and find new careers.
 
Education and health care among other fields can use the wisdom and experience of the sixty, seventy and eighty-somethings.  Visit www.encore.org and learn how retirement is being redefined.