The unofficial laureate of the baby-boomer generation, Bob Dylan, once sang: “You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed.”

Many who listened to these lyrics may have taken it to heart—as baby boomers continue to reach retirement age, they’ve become more active in the community and more eager to volunteer. In fact, according to the Service Corps of Retired Executives, the volunteer rate for those ages 65 and over jumped nearly 65 percent between 1974 and 2005.

But with the recent economic downturn, many older adults can no longer afford to retire. In October of last year, the AARP advocacy organization reported that if the economy does not improve significantly, more than 65 percent of workers ages 45 and over say they’ll have to stave off retirement and work longer to pay their bills.

So what happens when older adults have the will to serve but not necessarily the means?

To allow older adults to fulfill their drive to serve others while still enabling them to meet their financial needs, a number of community service organizations are offering volunteers the option of setting their own hours and offering stipends. Experience Corps at Temple University’s Center for Intergenerational Learning, part of the College of Health Professions, is one such program. Volunteers can commit to as little as a few times a year for certain events, or to as much as 15 hours per week. A monthly stipend is provided for those who volunteer the full 10-15 hours.

“The economic crisis has added another set of issues to the plans of baby boomers nearing or entering retirement, as well as those already retired,” said Robert Tietze, executive director of Temple’s Experience Corps. “This program is a reflection of the changing role of service in this country; it allows those who have the desire to serve to get around that economic barrier.”

Experience Corps, now in its 12th year, unites older adults with school-aged children to increase literacy and reading skills and provide reading support through small group and one-on-one tutoring and academic mentoring. Volunteers have the opportunity to share their years of wisdom with children while helping them overcome Philadelphia’s 22 percent illiteracy rate – the highest in Pennsylvania. And their effectiveness shows; students in the program have been shown to increase literacy levels by more than one full grade level. And a new study by Washington University reveals statistically significant increases in the students’ literacy and grade-level proficiency.

Cynthia Jones has been involved with Experience Corps for more than eight years and volunteers in a first grade classroom one day each week, reading to the children and helping with their comprehension skills. She used to work at the school three days a week, she says, until the economy forced her to cut back her hours.

Still, she says she looks forward to that one day a week, and loves that she can still be involved in some way and see first-hand the effect of her time and efforts.

“Serving these kids is a wonderful experience,” said Jones. “You can learn a lot from them, just like they can learn a lot from you.”

Tietze says that for organizations like his that rely heavily on a volunteer force, the economic downturn has been difficult.

“With a loss of pension and retirement funds, many retirees are forced to go back to work, but the need for volunteers to address critical social issues like literacy is still there,” he said. “It’s causing community organizations like ours to put forth a concerted effort to get and stay ahead of the curve.”

For more information on volunteering efforts through Temple’s Experience Corps, call 215-204-5302 or visit the program’s website. Experience Corps’ national web site is at www.experiencecorps.org.