Experience Works is a national, charitable, community-based organization. Chartered in 1965 as a small, rural demonstration program named Green Thumb, Experience Works is now a national provider of training, employment, and community service for low-income people age 55 and over. Experience Works operates in 30 states and Puerto Rico.[1]
Mission
“To improve the lives of older people through training, community service, and employment.”
Experience Works’ priorities include:
• Assisting employers to take full advantage of the talents of older workers
• Helping older people who are low income or at risk of becoming low income.
• Using community service as a path to employment.
• Building strong relationships in local communities.
• Addressing the challenges facing older people in rural America.[2]
History
In the summer of 1963 when President John F. Kennedy decided to make poverty a focus of this anticipated 1964 re-election campaign. Jim Patton, president of the National Farmers Union and a White House advisor on labor issues, encouraged the President to develop policies that would help disadvantaged residents of America’s rural communities.
Less than 30 days after President Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson invited several national leaders to the White House to discuss an agenda for his new administration.
On October 5, 1965, President Johnson signed the Nelson Amendment to the Economic Opportunity Act, which funded the “green thumb” project of the National Farmers Union. Ten days later, Green Thumb, Inc. (now Experience Works) was launched as the first nonprofit organization created to run a jobs program for disadvantaged rural Americans.
The following spring, crews of 280 participant farmers went to work on beautification projects in Arkansas, New Jersey, Oregon, and Minnesota. That initial project in four states evolved into the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).[3]
Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
The SCSEP is the only federal program designed specifically for low-income adults who are age 55 and older. Funded under Title V of the Older Americans Act, the SCSEP gives seniors the opportunity to receive the minimum wage while improving their job skills at local community agencies such as senior centers, schools, and health and veterans facilities prior to transitioning into the workforce. In addition to gaining valuable new skills and experience, seniors enrolled in the SCSEP contributed more than 11 million hours of community service in 2008, increasing the quality of life for citizens in virtually every county in the nation.[4] Experience Works also partners with other nonprofits such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to place refugees and other targeted constituents age 55 and older in SCSEP that eventually led to full-time employment.[5] The economic downturn has increased demands for services from Experience Works. A significant number of seniors seeking help from the organization are retirees who need to return to the workforce for financial reasons. SCSEP participants receive specialized training in their interested areas and in job search skills including for instance resume-writing, interviewing, and networking skills. The ultimate goal is to get a permanent job. [6]
America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker
Experience Works honors people who continue work into their older years as examples to cultivate the can-do attitude among relatively younger crowds. In 2009, the organization awarded Jack Borden, a 101 year old attorney, the national title of America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker. [7] At age 101, Jack Borden still works 40 hours a week, specializing in real estate and probate work. He also works as a greeter every Sunday at the First Baptist Church. "I've been working all my life. That's what keeps me alive,” says Borden. [8]
