Retirees in Service to the Environment: cultivating volunteers with impact by Caron Petersen, MSW

On an October day in 2008, four recuperating birds from a local wildlife sanctuary captivated two-dozen spectators in the activity room at Bahia Oaks Lodge, a Brookdale Senior Living retirement community in Sarasota, Florida. The birds—a Screech Owl, Barred Owl, Kestrel and Great Horned Owl—stole the show from a local wildlife expert who was presenting a seminar for the Retirees in Service to the Environment (RISE) program, hosted by two Bahia residents. RISE is an environmental education and volunteerism program that involves retirees ages 60 and over in local environmental volunteer activities.