AARP 2008 Annual Report Download - page 6

A record number of employers sought to be one of the AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50.
Cornell University rose to the ‘head of the class’ in 2008 for its comprehensive approach to caregiving.
And, for the first time, we went global in our search for companies that welcome 50+ workers, through the
AARP International Innovative Employer Awards.
To link more mature workers with employers, we expanded the AARP National Employer Team by nine.
In addition to six private-sector employers, we welcomed three federal agencies: the Peace Corps, the
Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance.
AARP state offices hosted roundtables for human resources professionals. Local business executives spoke
about the bottom-line benefits of recruiting and retaining mature workers and discussed the implications of
America’s aging workforce.
Subscriptions to the AARP SmartBrief e-newsletter, which helps employers stay on top of best practices
for meeting the challenges of workforce changes, jumped from 2,900 to 4,200.
A new collaboration with RetirementJobs.Com gave AARP members access to a job board and practical
advice tailored to 50+ job-seekers.
Switching careers can be daunting for 50+ workers. To help them, AARP Books/Sterling published The
AARP Crash Course in Finding the Work You Love: The Essential Guide to Reinventing Your Life by
Samuel Greengard.
Career-Changer Gets
AARP Help Achieving Her Dream Job
Out of the 7,000 contestants who participated in our Dream Job essay contest, Jenette Guillory of Chicago
was one of six winners. For the last 25 years, she has worked at a large law firm as a typist and, more
recently, as a paralegal supervisor. She shared with us her dream: to open a community center that helps
underprivileged families.
Jenette was prompted to change careers after losing a nephew to gun violence in 2006. To turn this tragic
loss into something positive, her winning essay explained, “This center would promote a ‘can-do’ mentality
and help families get back to the basics.”
AARP leveraged a wide range of supports to help Jenette achieve her goal: career counseling from Bob
Skladany of RetirementJobs.Com, hands-on training at the University of Illinois and media interviews.
Jenette inspired others to follow their passions during a presentation at AARP’s Life@50+ member event
in Washington, D.C.
“I personally want to thank the AARP for giving me such an opportunity,” she wrote in an online journal
entry. “This goes to show (that) you are never too old to dream, or to do or learn something you have never
done before.”
Economic Relief