"The Purpose Prize is part of the Encore Careers campaign (www.encore.org), which aims to engage millions of boomers in encore careers, which combine social impact, personal meaning and continued income in the second half of life -- and produce a windfall of human talent to solve society's most pressing issues.

Framing Our Community's, Joyce Dearstyne, Honored as Purpose Prize Fellow for Innovation, Extraordinary Contribution in Encore Career, After Age 60

Solving Social Problems with Experience, Fellows Disprove Notion that Innovation is the Province of the Young and Demonstrate What's Possible in an Aging Society

Civic Ventures (www.civicventures.org), a national think tank on boomers, has designated Elk City's Joyce Dearstyne as one of its 2008 Purpose Prize Fellows. The Purpose Prize is a $9 million program for people over 60 who are taking on society's biggest challenges. The Prize, now in its third year, is the nation's only large-scale investment in social innoviators in the second half of life.

Joyce Dearstyne was named a fellow for her work in Rural Economic Development, Forest and Watershed Restoration and Wildfire/Home Defensible Space Education.

"In tough economic times, we need more creative solutions to long-standing social problems," said Marc Freedman, co-founder of The Purpose Prize program and author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life. "It's reassuring to note that as America ages, we have creativity in greater abundance. Purpose Prize Fellows such as Joyce show that experience and innovation can go hand in hand, that inventiveness is not the sole province of the young."

Joyce Dearstyne: "I am honored to be chosen as a 2008 Purpose Prize Fellow from Encore's international pool of nominees. Recognition of those who are using their years of experience and talent helps to spotlight the great work being done by the baby boomer generation as they give back in the second half of their lives and is one of life's greatest personal rewards. I'm excited to join other innovators at the Encore Summit in sharing ideas, broadening networks and increasing capacity. All of which will improve each of our efforts as we continue in our endeavors."

The Purpose Prize is part of the Encore Careers campaign which aims to engage millions of boomers in encore careers, which combine social impact, personal meaning and continued income in the second half of life -- and produce a windfall of human talent to solve society's most pressing issues.

The Purpose Prize supports Fellows by helping develop their capacity, linking them with funders and venture philanthropists and connecting them to other social innovators over 60. Purpose Prize Fellows participated in the first-ever Encore Careers Summit on December 5-7 at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business' Center on Social Innovation, one of the world's leading academic centers focused on social enterpreneurship.

An invitation-only event, more than 450 people attended the Summit, including Purpose Prize winners and Fellows, hundreds of others in encore careers, and leaders in education, government, business, philanthropy, and public policy. The goal is to launch a movement of those in the second half of life who want to use longer, healthier lives for social good.

Funding for The Purpose Prize comes from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation. Additional funding for the Summit comes from AARP, Erickson Companies, the New York Life Foundation, Hewlett-Packard Company and Legacy Works.

Joyce Dearstyne, Elk City, ID Reducing rural poverty with "green" jobs that save the national forest.

Her encore career
When Joyce Dearstyne retired in 1995 as a corporate manager and small business owner and moved from New Jersey to Idaho, she did not find the idyllic life of her retirement dreams. Tiny Elk City stands deep in rugged terrain in the Nez Perce National Forest, isolated and poor. In 1999, after leading a community project to teach residents the art of timber framing, Dearstyne realized her new hometown could survive economic hard times if its citizens pulled together. She helped found Framing Our Community to jump-start economic development.

Her Innovation
The organization launched "Jobs in the Woods" to restore the forest and watershed, remove hazardous debris that acts as tinder in forest fires, and generate raw materials for wholesale and retail products. In 2007, Framing Our Community began a $440,000 project to protect public drinking water and improve wildlife habitat. FOC has designed an integrated, economic development program that meets the triple bottom line of environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Her Impact
Framing Our Community measures success through number of acres treated, homes protected from wildfires, improvements to services and amenities in the community, and jobs created. Four new start-up businesses have opened and 34 new jobs have been created. If the group can bring Broadband Internet to the community, an entrepreneur plans to build a corporate retreat and vacation hotel.

In her own words
"I am here to serve until the day comes that I have no more to offer."