Who volunteers? How do they get involved? What are the dynamics of midlife on work, family and volunteering? What roles do volunteers play, and what benefits do they reap? How do families share volunteer projects? How can organizations prepare for the "new" middle-aged volunteer? What are the trends in the workplace regarding volunteering? What are the connections between volunteering and spirituality?

These issues, among others, will be the focus of national volunteering experts at the National Forum on Life Cycles and Volunteering: The Impact of Work, Family and Mid-Life Issues on April 30 and May 1, 1998.

Sponsored by the Cornell College of Human Ecology, the forum will examine the latest research and trends in volunteerism and how life-course factors affect volunteering, will develop a deeper understanding of specific life cycle segments and will identify areas that need more research or better practices.

"With the baby boom generation reaching middle age, volunteer organizations are eager to tap the vast wealth of knowledge and experience these individuals can bring to volunteer positions," said Peg Hendricks, director of the conference and an expert at Cornell in the areas of innovative community development, leadership training, school-to-work/economic development, business-education partnerships, mentoring and volunteer management/development. "Little is known, however, about how this unique demographic group will balance work, family and volunteering or what kinds of volunteer endeavors most interest them.

"This conference, which is the first to focus on midlife, will be a great coming together of practitioners, academics and volunteers themselves and will define new directions in research and better practices," Hendricks said. Speakers will include executives from the Points of Light Foundation, YMCA of the USA, Association of Junior Leagues International, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, National Retiree Volunteer Coalition, Non-Profit Management Center, as well as numerous academics who study life-course issues and volunteerism.

Intended for volunteer and civic organizations, community leaders, academics involved in the study of the life course and corporations that encourage volunteerism among their employees, the conference will be highly interactive with a maximum registration of 250 people. A brief overview of the conference will be broadcast to interactive teleconference sites on May 1 in cities across the country. To register or obtain more information, contact Peg Hendricks at (607) 255-8053 or mah30@cornell.edu; website: http://www.human.cornell.edu/volunteerism.