HELLO AGAIN. THIS IS ALICE HORNBAKER FOR WMKV 89.3 FM BRINGING YOU ANOTHER “LIFE AFTER 50” COLUMN THAT IS HEARD, EXCLUSIVELY, ON WMKV 89.3 FM AND WMKVFM.ORG AROUND THE WORLD ON THE INTERNET, MONDAYS AND THURSDAYS AT 2:20 P.M., AND FRIDAYS AT 8:50 A.M. AND AS A BLOG ON THE SITE, GROWINGBOLDER.COM UNDER BLOGS/ LIFE AFTER FIFTY/AJHORNBAKER.

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          JUST AS THOSE OF MY GENERATiON, THOSE 65 PLUS, WERE DESIGNATED “THE Greatest GENERATION” MANY HAVE DESCRIBED OUR CHILDREN AS THE MOST SELFISH GENERATION. YES, I AM REFERRING TO THE BABY BOOMERS WE BORE, REARED, AND SENT OUT TO CONQUER THE WORLD, OUR BABY BOOMERS.

 BABY BOOMERS, THOSE BORN BETWEEN 1947 AND 1964 BEING TAGGED “THE WORSE GENERATION” I THINK IS A BIT TOO HARSH. I DON’T’ BELIEVE IT. NO ONE CAN PUT AN ENTIRE GENERATION INTO ONE DEFINED GROUP. I KNOW WONDERFUL BABY BOOMERS WHO ARE NEITHER SELFISH, CRITICAL OF EVERYTHING, OR SELF-ABSORBED TO THE POINT THEY CARE NEITHER FOR THEIR CHILDREN NOR THEIR PARENTS, THE ELDERS.

PAUL BEGALA, POLITICAL STRATEGIST AND TV COMMENTATOR, WHO ONCE WORKED FOR BILL CLINTON AS REPORTED IN AN ARTICLE BY MARSHA MERCER IN AARP BULLETIN, SAID IN THAT ARTICLE THAT “THE BABY BOOMERS ARE THE MOST SELF-CENTERED, SELF SEEKING, SELF INTERESTED, SELF ABSORBED, SELF INDUGENT SELF AGGRANDIZING GENERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY.” HE ADDED THE BOOMERS PUT THEMSELVES BEFORE ANYONE ELSE.

SOME DO. SOME DON’T. BUT MANY OF THOSE BABY BOOMERS WHO IN YOUTH PERHAPS DID SOME OF THOSE SELF-CENTERED THINGS, TODAY ARE TURNING 65 IN MASSIVE NUMBERS. ONE REPORT SAID AS OF JAN. 1, 2011, 75 MILLION PLUS BABY BOOMERS TURN 65 DAILY NOW. AND THEY REALIZE THEY NOW HAVE MORE PAST THAN FUTURE. SO IN GREAT NUMBERS MANY ARE TURNING TO WHAT THEIR PARENTS ALREADY HAVE DONE, BECOME VOLUNTEERS TO BE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS.

MANY BOOMERS FIND LOTS OF WAYS TO DO THIS.  BUT ONE WAY THEY ARE AND CAN DO THIS IS THROUGH THE STILL ACTIVE SENIOR CORPS.

THIS IS A PROGRAM OF THE FEDERAL CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE. NOW SENIOR CORPS HAS LOWERED ITS AGE FOR RECRUITS FROM 60 TO 55 TO EMBRACE THE HUGE POPULATION OF AGING BABY BOOMERS. 

WHAT DO SENIOR CORPS VOLUNTEERS DO? THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP SENIORS BY SIGNING UP TO BECOME THEIR COMPANIONS, HELP ELDERS WITH SHOPPING, OR MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION, AND EVEN AS FOSTER GRANDPARENTS TO MENTOR YOUTH.

ERWIN TAN, M.D., DIRECTOR OF SENIOR CORPS TOLD AMERICANS IN MERCER’S ARTICLE THAT BABY BOOMERS ARE THE HEALTHIEST, BEST EDUCATED GENERATION AMERICA EVER HAD AND NOW THE NATION NEEDS THEIR SKILLS AND WISDOM.

SO WILL BABY BOOMERS HEAR THE CALL TO SERVICE AND VOLUNTEER TO LEAVE A LEGACY OF VOLUNTEERISM AND BRING IT TO A NEW HIGH?

I HOPE SO.  IF THEY DO, AND I BELIEVE THEY WILL, REMEMBERING THAT THEIR PARENTS BEFORE THEM PAVED THE WAY. AND THAT SOON BOOMERS PERHAPS WILL SURPRISE EVERYONE AND EARN THE TITLE OF THE GREATEST GENERATION, PART 2.

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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REACH ME MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS: AJHORNBAKER@YAHOO.COM, AJHORNBAKER@YAHOO.COM (REPEAT). OR LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR ME AT THE CINCINNATI WMKV STUDIOS, 782-2427.  FOR WMKV, THIS IS ALICE HORNBAKER, FOR “LIFE AFTER 50” COLUMN, ON 89.3 FM PUBLIC RADIO.