Retired Educators Celebrate Retired Teachers Week by Giving Back

During the worst recession this country has seen in years, CalRTA members worked even harder to support their communities. Members of the California Retired Teachers Association tallied nearly 2.7 million hours of volunteer service in the past year, valued at more than $54.6 million – an increase of 8.8 percent from the same period last year!

Members of the Association also funded more than $550,000 in grants and scholarships to schools as well as current and future teachers.

In recognition of the eleventh annual California Retired Teachers Week November 1-7, 2009, retired educators throughout the state spotlighted exceptional volunteers within their ranks who have donated more than 4,000 hours of their time to community activities and urged all Californians to find the time for volunteer service.

“Many hundreds of our members have tallied more than 4,000 hours in volunteer service—the equivalent of working fulltime for two years,” noted Polly Bacich, president of the California Retired Teachers Association. “They can all tell you that the secret to volunteering is that you always get back more than you give.”

Even in these tough economic times, when many are struggling to make ends meet, retired teachers continue to pitch in and are proving to be excellent role models for volunteer service.  Since 1998, California Retired Teachers Association has sponsored Retired Teachers Week as a way to not only spotlight their members’ own extensive volunteerism but to encourage others to do the same.

Media Coverage

The attached file lists some of the articles published around the state recognizing retired educators during Retired Teachers Week.

Retired Teachers Week 09 Clippings [PDF]