Seniors to head back to school

By Jeffrey Hage, The Chippewa Herald

Donald Thornton failed retirement.

So the 70-year-old Chippewa Falls man turned to Eau Claire-based Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc. in October to find a job.

For 20 hours each week Thornton can be found performing the custodial duties for the Chippewa County Cultural Association at the Heyde Center for the Arts in Chippewa Falls.

Senior citizens like Thornton throughout Chippewa County will have an opportunity to find work after retirement. The Chippewa Falls School District decided Thursday to allow Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc. to place workers from the 55-plus community in district schools.

Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc. resembles the old Green Thumb program. Under Title 5 of the Older American's Act, it assists senior citizens find job training that will eventually lead to employment outside of the program. Workers are paid through Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc., not the site where the training takes place.

The program has worked for Thornton.

"When you retire it doesn't matter how much money you have, it's never enough," said the former machine operator, tavern owner and all-around handyman.

"By 2002 I had finished remodeling my home and had gone as far as I could with retirement," Thornton said.

"I couldn't sit around the house all the time anymore," he said.

So Thornton decided get a job.

"Jobs are hard to find, period. Then factor in my age and it's harder yet," Thornton said.

Then he saw an ad in the newspaper for Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc. He decided to give the office a call, give a job a try, and see if he liked it.

What Thornton found surprised him.

"They were a big help and I never expected that kind of help in getting a job before, he said.

SCETI receives its funding from Senior Service America in Washington, D.C. The program has operated for 28 years in Eau Claire County, according to Liz Anderson, coordinator for Senior Citizens Employment and Training, Inc. Seniors in Dunn and Chippewa counties have been put into the program recently and 105 seniors are employed in the three counties by the agency.

In Chippewa Falls, SCETI has senior employees at the senior center, YMCA, Salvation Army and Riverside Family Resource Center and the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association..

With SCETI poised to have workers in the Chippewa Falls schools, the district will join Stanley-Boyd, Bloomer, Cadott, and Lake Holcombe in using the older workers.

Published by The Chippewa Herald, 1/17/2004

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