A special event will be taking place the last day of February. Encore careerists will be discussing how they ended up changing careers in mid-life, and winners of The Purpose Prize will talk about their experiences as social entrepreneurs. Curious about the Encore Career concept? I recommend Marc Freedman's book, Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. More information is below from guest blogger, Alexandra Kent, Director of the Purpose Prize initiative of Civic Ventures.

Encore Careers: Use your experience, pursue your passion

As more and more older adults extend their working lives - out of desire or necessity, the tarnished dream of endless leisure in the "Golden Years" is giving way to a new form of practical idealism: Encore Careers.

Encore Careers provide an opportunity to put experience and skill to work for the greater good while finding personal fulfillment and a paycheck.

Want to hear from people who overcame obstacles and found a rewarding and challenging encore career? On Saturday, February 28th at 2 PM, The New York Public Library will host Encore Careers: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life, a networking event for the public. You'll hear from:

Elizabeth Alderman of Bedford, NY, who will talk about losing her 25-year-old son, Peter, in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11 and how she turned her grief into a new sense of social purpose. Along with her husband, Stephen, she has devoted the last six years to setting up clinics to treat survivors of torture, war and terrorism around the globe to honor her son's memory.

Catalino Tapia, a gardener who immigrated to the United States from Mexico with $6 in his pocket, who will share how in his sixties, filled with an overwhelming desire to enable children of Latino immigrants to go to college, he founded the Bay Area Gardener's Foundation to raise scholarship money.

Other guests include Michael Watson, a former IBM executive who transitioned to the nonprofit sector in his late 40s, and now heads up Human Resources for The Girl Scouts of America. He'll discuss encore transitions from a personal perspective and as an encore employer.

Jeri Sedlar of Don't Retire, REWIRE! will lead a discussion on getting started on your encore career, the opportunities, obstacles, and tips along the way.

Please join us!

Where: New York Public Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Library, 42nd Street & Fifth Avenue, South Court Auditorium
When: Saturday, February 28, 2 to 4 p.m., followed by reception.
Reservations: Free and open to the public. No reservations required.

This event is being co-sponsored by The Encore Careers campaign and The Purpose Prize®, a major initiative of the campaign, which invests in a new generation of social innovators over the age of 60 creating new ways to solve social issues.

Today's Guest Blogger: Alexandra Kent, Director, The Purpose Prize®