Ep. 93 This Is What Service Looks Like at 73: Inside AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP

What does service look like after retirement—and why is it more important than ever?

In this powerful episode of the AmeriCorps Connections Podcast, host Nicki Fiocco sits down with Sarah, an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Program Manager in Minnesota, and Carolyn, a 73-year-old AmeriCorps Seniors volunteer whose life—and community—has been transformed through service.

Together, they share an inspiring, real-life look at how AmeriCorps Seniors programs are tackling some of today’s most urgent challenges:
✔️ social isolation and loneliness
✔️ fall prevention and healthy aging
✔️ rural access to community-based services
✔️ purpose and belonging after retirement

Carolyn’s journey—from a longtime university executive assistant to a dynamic volunteer leader running packed exercise classes twice a week—shows what happens when experience, courage, and community come together. Through the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) and the evidence-based Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) program, she and her fellow volunteers are helping older adults stay strong, connected, and independent—while finding deep fulfillment themselves.

Sarah pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build sustainable, data-driven AmeriCorps Seniors programs, and why investing in older adults as leaders isn’t just smart—it’s essential.

This episode is a reminder that:
✨ service doesn’t end with retirement
✨ aging is not about slowing down—it’s about staying engaged
✨ AmeriCorps Seniors is building bridges across generations

If you care about national service, healthy aging, community connection, or the future of AmeriCorps, this conversation will move you—and might just inspire your next chapter. AmeriCorps runs the risk of being cut by the Federal Government!!!! Get involved!

👉 Subscribe, share, and help keep these stories of service alive.
Because the service may end—but the mission doesn’t

💡 Learn More / Get Involved:
👉 Join States for Service
👉 Americas Service Commissions - National Service Advocacy Academy

👉 Listen to more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@americorpsconnections/playlists

📬 Interested in sharing your AmeriCorps story?
Email Nicki Fiocco at [e-mail]

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