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Prudential ROCS: Profiles in Caring
Prudential ROCS-NJ Board, (sitting left to right), Gwendolyn Evans, president, Bill Thompson, Ben Bucca, Gabe Yandoli. (standing, left to right), John Gualtieri, Carlton Anderson, Faye Holmes, George Scott, Bob Koehler, Jim Whalen, Jim Baratte. Pensions and other benefits enjoyed by those concluding a lengthy career with a major corporation can soften the transition to post-career life. As important as financial security is, it cannot compensate for the loss of routine, a place to go, a sense of making a contribution. Some employers have found a way to fill this void, and in the process, direct the experience, talents and energy of retirees for the public good. Prudential is such a company and the Prudential ROCS (Retirees Offering Community Service) program is a model for what can be done with this vast, underutilized resource. The organization was founded in 1996 with an advisory board made up of 20 men and women who had held positions with Prudential as executives, lawyers, sales representatives, sales and home office managers and administrators. Today, it is a thriving non-profit independent of, but supported by Prudential with office and meeting space, that links retirees with volunteer opportunities "they might not otherwise know about," said Gwendolyn Evans, board chairman for Prudential ROCS-NJ. Programs like ROCS boost the morale of the company as a whole, by showing older workers that their value doesn’t end with their last paycheck. There is a ROCS group for Prudential retirees in Minnesota, and a new group forming in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Here are a few brief profiles of ROCS volunteers in action: Quitman Street Community School It wasn’t his idea, but "like a good husband," John Gualtieri, a corporate attorney who retired from Prudential in 1994, said "Yes, dear," when his wife, Maureen McGrath, a former attorney for New York Life, broached the idea of volunteering as tutors at the Quitman Street Community School in Newark, NJ. On his first day at Lourdes Rodriguez’s third grade class, Gualtieri remembers thinking: "What does a gray-haired, 65-year-old white suburban man have in common with third grade inner city kids, and how the devil could I help them?" Before long, he had met Tyrone Watson, 9, who had entered third grade with no reading skills. Over the remainder of the school year, tutor and student bonded over flash cards and storybooks, and it was a done deal. Each Wednesday, the West Orange couple arrived at 9 a.m. to begin their small group tutoring sessions. Eight-year-old Onalia Gyamera worked on her reading skills with "Miss Maureen." By the end of the year, test scores for students in the program had improved, according to Ms. Rodriguez, and self-confidence had soared. Another Quitman Street School volunteer, Jim Whalen, a former Prudential asset management vice president, sees the program growing as more retirees join. "With a couple of more volunteers next year, we can get another teacher involved and some us can stay with the children we started with last year." Jim is also a "champion" for the annual Reading for Life event held at Drew University. Reading For Life Jeanette Marable, a former administrative manager of the executive transportation division (36 years with Prudential) and Joan Lowry, who retired in 1993 after 30 years with Prudential, mostly in human resources, are two more Reading for Life champions. This day-long program brings volunteers of different ages and backgrounds together with children from several Newark schools to discover the fun and value of reading. Jeanette also recruits ROCS volunteers for Celebrity Read, part of Black History Month, a United Way project. "Kids want to know how they can succeed in life. For me, both recruiting and volunteering are very rewarding." Both are also involved in another annual program, Global Volunteer Day, which last year brought 300 children from Newark school to the campus of Drew University. "Mentoring one-on-one makes reading fun. All the volunteer programs make us feel good about the company while feeling great about ourselves," Joan said. ROCS Food Bank A Prudential district agent in Northern New Jersey for 33 years, Bill Thomson had been involved in many church volunteer programs, so doing community service is not new to him. Now, however, he has a bit more time for these pursuits. Every second Thursday, Bill and other ROCS volunteers can be found, sorting and packing boxes, jars and packaged edibles that will go to needy families. He also teaches weekly at a drug rehab center connected with the Good Shepherd Mission that includes a week long summer camp. Helping those less fortunate is important to him. "Success and failure are not necessarily permanent," said Bill. ROCS -NJ volunteers can choose projects that can be "done-in-a-day" or make longer time commitments. Other programs include reading for the visually impaired with Electronic Information and Education Service; E-Mail Buddies, a mentoring program; the New Jersey Symphony and New Jersey Performing Arts Center; and other projects in cooperation with the National Executive Service Corps. Prudential ROCS rocks! Next Steps National Executive Service Corps Community Agencies Corporation of NJ Protestant Community Centers, Inc.
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