Wednesday, February 16, 2011

The Legacy Project USA


How many people do you know who are opting for traditional retirement, the kind where one plays golf, enjoys the grandchildren and travels?  

Fewer and fewer, right?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the sociological factors at work.  First, we’re living longer than previous generations, looking at 20 or 30 years post-retirement where our grandparents typically had less than ten.  That’s a lot of golf and a lot of travel.

That’s also a lot of time to go with no new income, which turns out to be the second factor.

And, finally, for many of us, sixty or seventy just doesn’t feel that old anymore. Boomers want to stay engaged--that's the bottom line.

The easy part is finding something to keep you occupied.  Look online or in any newspaper and you’ll see plenty of volunteer opportunities.  What’s harder is discovering something you’re passionate about that also pays.


Getting paid to pursue their passions is exactly what my friends Rozanne Gates and Suzanne Sheridan are doing.  Neither want nor can afford to retire.  Instead, they’ve combined their interests and skills to create a business called The Legacy Project USA.  Using a combination of audio interviews, video and photography, they're helping preserve people’s life stories and turning a profit at the same time.

No wonder they're loving this work.  I can testify firsthand as to the value of what they're doing.  Last year they interviewed my 87-year old mother and took photographs of her.  (The bottom picture, above left, is one of the ones taken that day.)  The fruits of this session were a book of my mom's life along with an audio tape of her talking about growing up in West Virginia.

Months later, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Thankfully, she’s doing okay, but I’m so grateful to Rosie and Suzie for preserving my mom's voice on tape and giving me a wonderful way to remember her long after she's gone.

For more info on The Legacy Project USA, click here.

2 comments:

  1. The Legacy Project is so inspiring on so many different levels! It's always inspiring to read your posts, Prill, and see the endless array of creativity coming from those who are "defying gravity." Thank you for your work.

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