First Radio Interview 

Earlier in the month, I received a call from Heather at the AARP in Chicago.  Heather informed me, I would be receiving a call from the Illinois Radio Service who wanted to intervew on my "dream job" win.  The interview went very well and I understand it will be aired sometime in June.

Bob of Retirementjobs.com and I now have the plan for the center complete.  I recently learned after attending a council meeting in my area, that there are plans to put a "family social center" in close proximity to where I live.  I must tell you I was much disappointed when I first heard this.  This center is being developed by a very big worldwide organization. 

Since that time, however, Bob and I have made contact with the individuals who are spearheading this center.  Bob and I plan to meet with the organizers during the next week and we are confident the things will be moving in an upward direction on all fronts.     

 Visit to Prospective Locations 

Obtained list from Board of Education regarding abanoned property.  Visited each location to assess size of building,  accessibility to transportation, other businesses in each area, other centers, if any, need for center in various areas, churches, etc.   Attended  council meeting in my area to see what new developments are in the works.  I understand there will be big shopping mall just across the expressway from where I live coming soon.  So far all of this space has not been leased, sold or rented.  Will be attending another meeting on Thursday of this week to see if there are any new developments.

YMCA provided me with in depth information about their centers in a 50 mile radius.  Put together a "rough" draft of the services I anticipate being available at the center.    Spoke with Bob of Retirementjobs.com who is working on the plan.   

   Other Resources/Free Workshops 

     The AARP provided the winners with a resource sheet that included several helpful links.  One of the links I contacted was www.sba.gov.  I took several of their free on line courses.  This site is packed with helpful information about starting a business, is free and readily available to anyone interested in starting a buisness of any kind.

     Also, thanks to AARP in Chicago, I was able to get some hands on training at a workshop at the University of Illinois.  This workshop covered every aspect of business planning to potential business locations.     

     The resources provided are extremely helpfulin pursuring this venture. 

Dream Job Site Goes Public"The WaterCooler"

"Lunch with AARP office in Chicago"

On March l9, 2008 I received an e-mail from Marci that the site announcing the "Dream Job Winners" had been launched.  This information was shared with the State Offices as well.  Phone calls and e-mails were coming from all over.  People were excited to have a chance to read the winning essays.  

On March 26, I had lunch with Heather and the AARP office in Chicago.  I was greeted with a very nice lunch, flowers and a certificate endorsed by the group.  During this get acquainted lunch, each person provided me with information as to what their role is in the organization and how they might be able to benefit/provide me with information as I move forward with this venture.  I in  turn shared information about myself, and discussed in more detail "the dream". 

I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such an informative wonderful group of people.  I have volunteered for some of the upcoming events and contacted some of the resources they provided.

I look forward to working with this group as I make this dream a reality.  Thank you AARP in Chicago for your support. 

The First Planning Meeting

Bob, from RetirementJobs arrived in the Windy City for our first planning meeting on February 15, 2008.  Bob met me at my place of employment, where he spoke to my manager and other co-workers who have been extremely supportive of me during this process.  We then took the Metra train to my home where Bob met my husband and two daughters. 

That evening we had dinner at a neighborhood restaurant where we all got acquainted.  During this meeting, we talked about what I envisioned in the Center, i.e.,  possible locations, staffing, whether the center would be for profit or non-profit, contacts, and the next step.  

The next day Bob met the extended family, mother, sister and brothers.  Prior to their arrival, Bob and I canvassed the neighborhood to see what kind of other centers, churches, schools, etc. were in the area.  Based on our findings, the next step was for Bob to put together a "to do" list.  The family was now on board, and we knew what we had to do.  My first meeting with Bob was a real success,  and I look forward to his next visit and working with him in the future.   

Essays/Contact Information/Upcoming Conference Calls

On February 8th, AARP sent us a written copy of all the winning essays.  I really enjoyed reading the other essays.   I was just amazed.  Given AARP knew we would be interactng on a consistent basis throughout the year, they provided a list of everyone’s contact information.  

AARP informed us they were in the process of setting up two upcoming conference calls.   One call was regarding the on-line journaling site that AARP was rolling out for the group.  The other call would be with the State Offices of each winner as well as others who would be assisting throughout this amazing journey.

We spoke with the representatives from each office.  They outlined what would be expected from us going forward as well as plans that each state had for each winner.  It was a very exciting call........   

 "The Winners Get Acquainted Call"

On January 12, 2008, a conference call was set up by AARP with all the Dream Job Winners.  The call started with an introduction of all winners,  as well as a sharing of the winning essays.  We shared our dreams as well as steps we had taken to pursue our dreams.   It was a very meaningful conversation, and it was obvious we were all very proud of our accomplishments.  A member of Retirementjobs.com was also part of this call.  He and the AARP  elaborated more on why we had been chosen.  After this call, we all received an e-mail from RetirementJobs.com that simply said "Congratulations again, now it’s time to get to work".  We received an outline of how we were going to get started, which entailed projects for us as well as Retirementjobs. com.     

How It All Started........

I entered into AARP "My Dream Job" essay contest in September 2007.  In December 2007, I received a notice from the AARP that I was a finalist.  AARP informed me they had received 7300 essays, and they would be selecting 6 winners.  The next step was a phone interview with the judges to talk more about my dream job essay, my current and past work experience, how I planned to pursue my dream job, and how the prizes would relate to my pursuit of the dream.  On January 4, 2008, I received a phone call simultaneously with an e-mail from AARP, that I was one of the WINNERS!!!!!  I could not believe what I was reading, so I got on the phone immediately and called the AARP.  They confirmed the good news.  AARP talked about why I was selected and the next step.  She also talked about the prizes one of which was a continued consultation with RetirementJobs.com, who was also one of the judges.  Retirementjobs.com informed me during this conversation that the consultation included a visit to me sooner rather than later to put the plan in motion.  AARP discussed when I could expected to receive the prizes. 

Lost a very dear nephew (Larell) to gun violence in September 2006, to be exact on my mother’s birthday,  September 28th.  Because we are such a close  family, losing my nephew has devastated the family.  We’re the kind of family that gets together for anniversaries,  birthdays and when those run out "just because".   As time passed,  I began to ask myself, "what could I do to turn such a tragic loss into something positive", that could not only help my family, but other families as well.  It started to seem that every week, there was another senseless murder.  I began to ask myself "what has gone wrong?"  "what’s so different about when I grew up"?  

It is quite clear that one of the problems families face today is not being able to spend a lot of "quality" time together.  Everybody is going in different directions.  We used to sit down at the table and eat together, lots of trouble I’m sure was averted at that dinner table.  We talked about school, if something was bothering someone, how to handle certain situations, and mainly that’s where we learned how to treat other human beings.  And very early on we were held accountable for our actions.  That’s where the soil was fertilized, and the seeds were planted; how to respect yourself and others, having compassion for other human beings, having the utmost respect for our elders.  With all that fertilizer and those strong roots, no way you would have been driven to pull a gun and kill a neighbor’s son or daughter, we interacted too much as a community and loved one another too much for that to happen.  The consequences of doing something wrong haunted you for life,  it seems like you had to go up against the whole community,  your parents, your friends parents, your siblings, the person who you had wronged, the teacher, principal,  Block club and  the list just goes on. 

That being said, I saw this article in an AARP newsletter about a contest.  The contest was to write and essay about " your dream job."    

I am the Career Changer Dream Job Winner and here’s my winning essay. 

I’m all smiles in Chicago    

"My dream job would be to open a center where I could help underprivileged families.  A place where families could come in and have dinner together, worship together, learn together, enjoy recreational activities together, dance together and just get back to plain old family fun.   This center would promote the "can do" mentality.  I grew up on the West Side of Chicago and also lived in the Robert Taylor Homes.  I interviewed in l983 for a typist position in one of the cities largest law firms.  I basically had a high school diploma and the attitude of "can do" even though I heard repeatedly what I "couldn’t do".  I have been with the firm since l983, almost 25 years.  My title now is Paralegal Supervisor.  I would love to work with the young men and women to encourage them to follow whatever path they decide to do.  I visualize this center as having a place where parents can come in if they need to talk, where a child who is being encouraged to join a gang will feel comfortable, some place where people are not judged, just loved.  I lost a nephew to gun violence in 2006 and I think it’s time to get back to the basics.  I would put this center in one of the most needy neighborhoods.  Life has been good to me and I have been very fortunate and blessed.  This would be my way of giving back and also going back to the basics that were instilled in me.  Families are in crisis these days, and some people do not have the resources nor do they know where to go.  I’d love to be able to provide those resources.