Got $54 Million? No Problem...Retired Teachers Are Working for FREE!

CalRTA Members Donate Nearly 2.6 Million Volunteer Hours

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Though it's worth more than $54 million, this help is free! The California Retired Teachers Association today announced that its members had tallied nearly 2.6 million hours of volunteer service in the past year, valued at more than $54 million.  Though the economy continues to sputter, retired teachers dig deep and give their time, effort, and even money!

Members of the Association also funded more than $485,000 in grants and scholarships to schools as well as current and future teachers.

In recognition of the twelfth annual California Retired Teachers Week November 7-13, 2010, retired educators throughout the state are spotlighting exceptional volunteers within their ranks who have donated more than 4,000 hours of their time to community activities and urging all Californians to find the time for volunteer service.

"The state is going through tough times, but that doesn't mean we should stop giving back to our communities.  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 serve as role models for volunteer service.  Since 1998, the California Retired Teachers Association has sponsored Retired Teachers Week as a way to not only spotlight our members' own extensive volunteerism but to encourage others to do the same.

"We cared about our students and our communities while we worked as educators, and that caring doesn't stop at retirement," said Bacich. Learn more online at www.calrta.org.

The California Retired Teachers Association is the state's first and foremost organization completely dedicated to the concerns of retired educators. CalRTA began in 1929 and today is the state's leading organization of retired educators, representing more than 50,000 members.

SOURCE California Retired Teachers Association