Co-President’s Message 2 AS MEMBERS OF RAPS we all are at least partly retired. We have mostly stopped doing the primary work of our careers. Retirement gives us time to pursue volunteer activity. Many non-profit groups and organizations do important and needed work in our community. They offer opportunities for volunteer work and they typically rely on volunteers for assistance carrying out their missions. supervising volunteers. This is a good deal for the organization and the volunteer. The volunteers can learn new skills that they might have been interested in while doing their paid work. If it takes a volunteer who is retired longer to perform a task for a non-profit group than a paid professional would need, no problem. The volunteer can learn while doing and it costs the group being helped nothing in salary. Examples of places RAPS members volunteer include: CASA (child welfare), Native Plant Society, Multnomah Falls Lodge, Meals on Wheels, OMSI, the Oregon Zoo, Gardens (Chinese and Japanese), the Oregon Historical Society, and various boards and advisory committees. Before retirement we had co-workers, work which was rewarding (most of the time), and pay for that work. Volunteer activity can also be very rewarding. Retirees get new “co-workers” as they volunteer. Volunteers stay active and get to learn new skills, giving them a real sense of accomplishment. It definitely is the case that volunteer work for those in need of help returns more in satisfaction than it costs in time, travel, and effort. —Steve Brennan Volunteer opportunities offer a wide variety of work choices. Volunteers might do work very similar to what they were doing for their career (e.g., a retired accountant might volunteer as an AARP Tax Aide preparing tax returns for those in need of help at tax time). Retirement gives freedom to strike out and learn new skills not so closely related to our career (e.g., stopping white collar work to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity building homes). Volunteers are not paid, so organizations get work accomplished with only the cost of training and RAPS members get involved as community volunteers PORTUGAL IT’S WHERE RAPS IS GOING! OCTOBER 3-12, 2020 Portugal, a land of ancient castles, Roman ruins, whitewashed villages and welcoming locals. We’ll see Lisbon and the narrow streets of its Alfama District . . . the Portuguese Riviera and its brightly colored buildings . . . the countryside, including Evora, “the museum city of Portugal”. . . and, if you choose the optional extension, Madeira, an island full of culture and charming villages. And part of your fare supports the RAPS scholarship! $3,649 Per person, double occupancy; includes airfare from PDX. For trip details, visit: https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/ 944136 To learn more, contact Larry Sawyer: 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net
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