How ENGin Empowers Retirees Through Volunteering
- Yana Lahoda
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Post-retirement often brings a search for connection. ENGin offers exactly that: shared experiences with purpose and a chance to make an impact from the comfort of home.
While for Ukrainian students the ENGin journey is known to begin with language practice that quickly evolves from structure to genuine friendship, what’s less visible is the profound impact on volunteer retirees, a vital part of the ENGin community.
Today, we’re excited to share some of our favorite stories with you that show just how transformative this experience can be for everyone.
What if retirement doesn’t mean slowing down?
Donna, a retired school administrator and speech pathologist from Long Island, found ENGin after retiring and is a wonderful example of how retirement can be a time of choosing to use skills to give back, instead of stepping back.
She’s been meeting weekly with Sasha, a lawyer close in age to her daughters. Despite differences in age, career, and culture, Donna and Sasha have built a strong bond. Their English-speaking sessions often run longer than planned, and Donna admits she feels she’s learned just as much – if not more – from Sasha as Sasha has from her.
What happens when a retired nurse in the US and a Ukrainian violinist connect over Zoom?
Christine Thornton, retired U.S. nurse, now ENGin volunteer, tutors Daria Kuzmenko, professional musician in Lviv, and their chats similarly grew from English lessons to friendship.
As Christine stays active through teaching, fundraising, assembling first aid kits, and helping refugees, she learns more about Ukrainian culture and new ideas, keeping her sharp and engaged.
“The day—I won’t ever forget,” Christine shared. “The spectacular part was that we were together! We had tea and talked; we walked and talked and talked. We shared cultural differences and personal gifts we’d prepared for each other.”
The moment Christine describes is during a time when Daria’s orchestra played at Radio City in New York City, and they met in real life.
Despite oceans apart, the bond between these two ENGin buddies grew so strong from the first conversation that it became proof that borders mean nothing to a real connection.
We dug into research: what if the secret to a happier and healthier retirement is purpose?
Fascinated by how ENGin empowers retirees through volunteering, we explored a UK study that took a long-term look at the impact of volunteer work on retirees’ well-being.
Drawing from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, which surveyed 3,740 participants of State Pension Age and older, the findings revealed a clear difference: retirees who engaged in volunteer work reported higher levels of well-being compared to those who didn’t. [1]
“...the best outcomes were observed among those participating in higher numbers of activities, regardless of who the volunteering was for and whether the volunteering was official and unofficial, and regardless of who felt appreciated for the volunteer work.”
The key was consistency; once stopped, benefits vanished. In this way, ENGin is win-win. That said, we want to share one final story with you for today.
Jim Storbeck thought retirement meant leaving civic life behind, but he’s on Zoom, helping two Ukrainians shape their country’s future.
So how exactly did a retired volunteer bring positive change to Ukraine through simple conversation?
Oleg, the mayor of Pustomyty in Ukraine’s Lviv region, and Anton, a deputy mayor, are both Jim’s students at ENGin. As it turns out, they already knew each other from a government conference — clicked, stayed in touch, and now occasionally join Jim on joint calls.
Jim’s sessions start with personal updates and news from across continents, then dive into meaningful topics like EU trade, governance, and leadership. Sometimes, they even bring in special guests, like the mayor of Jim’s hometown, Auburn, New York, to share how American municipalities tackle real-world challenges.
Oleg shares:
“Jim is now actively helping me prepare for a seven-week English Public Leadership Program training, part of which will be held in the USA.”
With stronger English, Oleg can now advocate for his community on global platforms, build partnerships, and bring real change back home to Pustomyty.
After Jim retired, he used his many years of experience to bring positive change to Ukrainian communities and the entire country through his two ENGin students who work in the public (civil) sector, through a seemingly banal practice of language. This fills life with new meaning like nothing else.
These stories are a reminder of how staying active and connected can transform this chapter of life into fulfillment. ENGin, in this way, becomes a cross-generational and cross-cultural space. It proves that service for retirees doesn’t end with a career and simply evolves into something even more impactful, one conversation at a time.