Hitting retirement age hasn’t stopped borough resident Eleanor Raymond from working.
By:Mark Moffa
HIGHTSTOWN For 25 years, she worked as a travel agent in East Windsor, all the while serving for 10 years on the rescue squad and for a time, she was president of the squad.
Last year, she retired from her job. But not for long. Ms. Raymond couldn’t handle retirement. She needed something to do.
She saw a small sign in September at the Mercer County Library’s Hickory Corner Branch that read "Green Thumb, Employment & Training Opportunities For People Age 55 And Older." She called the number on the flyer to find out more.
Green Thumb is a national non-profit organization created by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 as a jobs program for older farmers who needed supplemental income.
Today, Green Thumb is a part of the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which helps seniors obtain training, on-the-job experience, and employment.
Ironically, Green Thumb hired Ms. Raymond to work for the company.
Now she interviews others and tries to find them jobs.
"What we’re trying to do is just get the public familiarized with this type of thing because a lot of them just don’t know where to go," Ms. Raymond said.
She said she talks to about three or four seniors a week who are looking for work.
Seniors who call Green Thumb have a brief phone interview. During that interview it is determined whether the individual will be channeled through the Green Thumb or Experience Works! program.
Income level and age determine with which program the individual will work. Those under the age of 55 or over the income threshold for Green Thumb are referred to Experience Works! (this article will continue with an example of how Green Thumb operates, but Experience Works! functions in a similar fashion).
Next, a meeting is scheduled between the work-seeking senior and an employee at Green Thumb, such as Ms. Raymond. The senior is asked to bring his/her Social Security card, a driver’s license, and proof of income.
Ms. Raymond will put together a packet of information, including details of what kind of work the individual is willing to do. The senior also is paid for the time spent in the interview.
Then, Ms. Raymond begins to look for work for her client. She might find him/her a job in the private sector, such as decorating cakes at Morrazzo’s.
"We get a lot of calls from companies asking if we have people," she said.
Or Ms. Raymond may be able to place the individual with a host agency, a non-profit group that often accepts workers from Green Thumb. Ms. Raymond has a list of host agencies, including the Recording for the Blind Library in Princeton and he St. Francis Hospital in Trenton.
If she can secure an interview for her client, she may be able to transport them to the interview, but if her client gets the job, he or she must be able to get to work by themselves.
Ms. Raymond said she deals with about the same number of males as females, and that she finds work for at least half of her clients. And more than half of those find their jobs to be a good match.
She will look for three months, but sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be anything available to match a particular client’s interests. She said the less particular people are about the type of job they’re willing to take, the greater the chances of finding a job.
Ms. Raymond has many success stories to tell, such as the case of the 65-year-old man who recently approached her looking for work in photography. He was going to school at night to brush up on photography, and wanted a job for the daytime.
Ms. Raymond found him work at a Sears Portrait Studio. He loves it, and now wants yet another job.
The most important thing, Ms. Raymond said, is that seniors who want to work realize there is an organization out there to help them.
"Retirement is not for everybody," she said, holding herself up as a shining example.
Anyone interested in more information should contact Green Thumb at 890-2121.