About Us
Betty Lou Rekdahl had a good life. For nine years, she worked alongside her husband, Chris, at his event planning business. Together, they helped couples plan their wedding celebrations at the historic La Cañada Thursday Club near Pasadena, California. As their success grew, Betty managed the business’s hectic event schedule.
But all of that changed in March 2022 when Chris was diagnosed with glioblastoma — an aggressive form of brain cancer. “It shocked us to the core,” says Betty, 53, who suddenly found herself supporting Chris through chemo and radiation treatments, not to mention managing doctor appointments, filling out forms, and handling piles of medical bills. Overnight, she went from Chris’s business partner to his full-time caregiver.
Tough decisions followed. Betty and Chris dissolved their business in late 2023 because “having a business was just a lot.” They also sold their beloved family property and used the money to buy a townhouse and simplify their lives.
The property sale gave them a small financial cushion, making it possible for Betty to take all of 2024 off to focus on caring for Chris, but she had to plan their spending carefully so they didn't run out of money. She was confident that it would be easy to find a new job come January 2025.
Betty with her husband, Chris
She was wrong. “Little did I know the job market had changed so much,” Betty admits. Where once she’d been able to find a new job in about a month, now her search stretched into six months.
While scrolling Instagram, Betty saw an ad for AARP Foundation BACK TO WORK 50+, a free program that equips workers over 50 with skills to compete in today’s fast-changing job market. She enrolled and learned crucial strategies, including:
- How to customize her résumé for each job
- How to use AI tools like ChatGPT to practice interviews
- How to network with people she knew
Betty felt she wasn’t good at the networking part — “I don’t really know that many people!” she says — but she soon realized that she had many contacts through work, family and her community. “I started writing them down. I learned through the program that having an inside person is going to facilitate getting your résumé to the right one.”
The Magic of Networking
The lesson turned out to be truer than she expected. Betty hadn’t considered her younger brother in New York for networking efforts because most of his contacts came from volunteering. But she mentioned her job search during a family visit and, just days later, he texted telling her to send her résumé to someone at Huntington Hospital – which was only 10 minutes from her home.
Betty already knew about the position — part-time project coordinator in the hospital’s concierge department — but she’d dismissed it because it wasn’t full time. Now, after months of unemployment, she reconsidered. “Maybe I just need to be more open right now,” she thought.
The job seemed like a perfect fit for her HR background and event planning experience, and Betty prepared thoroughly for the interview. She brought a professional portfolio that included her résumé, PowerPoint presentations, marketing materials, and reference letters. The Thursday interview went well, and by Monday she had a job offer: 25 hours a week covering for someone on maternity leave.
She negotiated successfully, securing her preferred Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, a salary in the middle of the published range, and approval for an already scheduled vacation. “I got everything I asked for,” Betty says with amazement.
Gateway to the Future
BACK TO WORK 50+ calls positions like these “gateway jobs”: They may not be perfect, but they provide experience and training that can eventually lead to a better one.
“That’s exactly the way I see my new job,” says Betty, who started working in June. “It’s a great opportunity to pursue my ‘destination job.’”
Meanwhile, “My confidence level is up here compared to before,” she says, holding her hand high above her head. “I'm proud to work there, and I also see that I can prove myself. It’s a foot in the door, and something else could become available there. The possibilities are endless!”
Learn more about BACK TO WORK 50+ and register for a workshop.
Read more stories about how our programs have helped people find hope, and about the volunteers who give so much of themselves to help others.