Monday, April 09, 2001
CONTACT: Sandy Scott
Phone: 202-606-6724
Email: sscott@cns.gov
(LOS ANGELES) - Actress Shelley Long will share her experiences as she presents, "Observations of a Would-be Volunteer" to over four hundred attendees of the National Senior Service Corps Pacific Cluster Conference this week. The National Senior Service Corps sponsors the conference, which is part of the Corporation for National Service.
Long will be the April 11 luncheon speaker as part of the two-day conference, "Tapping Senior Power: Community Partnerships that Work," April 10-12 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
Studies indicate that the retiring boomers will seek activities that keep them feeling productive. This presents a tremendous opportunity for communities to use the skills and expertise of the most professional generation the United States has produced to help solve our communities' most pressing problems.
"Organizations and programs should be ready to accept volunteers by tapping into each individual's skills and talents, " Long says. "By matching a person's interest and talents with the communities' needs, we can make positive changes. My experience has shown me that organizations which are open, flexible and creative will discover an abundance of volunteers ready and willing to help."
Long, a Los Angeles resident, began her career after attending Northwestern University in Chicago by performing in small films and local theatre, eventually becoming co-host and associate producer of the Chicago magazine show "Sorting it Out," for which she won three local Emmy's. She eventually returned to her first passion, acting, and joined Chicago's famed Second City improvisational comedy troupe. Shortly thereafter, Long landed a role as barmaid Diane Chambers in the long running NBC hit comedy "Cheers."
Long's impressive film credits also include starring roles in "Losin' It," "Night Shift," "Irreconcilable Differences," "The Money Pit" and "Outrageous Fortune." Her other film credits include the 2000 Robert Altman film "Dr. T and the Women," "The Brady Bunch Movie," "A Very Brady Sequel," "Hello Again," "Troop Beverly Hills" and "Caveman."
The conference is part of the Senior Corps' ongoing effort to demonstrate the vast contributions that older Americans make in their communities and to discuss innovative ways to engage new retirees in solving community problems. The event provides an opportunity for community leaders and program directors from the Pacific states to discuss new ways to engage greater numbers of seniors in volunteering.
To learn more about the Senior Corps or the Corporation for National Service visit www.seniorcorps.org or contact Amy Dailey at (310) 235-7708.