You may have asked yourself this question, or not. It depends largely on how far you are in your career in education. I know I hadn’t even considered retirement until much later in my career. These folks represent a good cross section of our active OEA-Retired members. Their words speak for themselves. — Dan Domenigoni, OEA-Retired

I loved the 35 years I was in the classroom working with students and parents and my profession gave me value and purpose. Retirement was not going to make me any less involved in public education and its importance to our country and I wished to be able to continue making a difference in the lives of our young and protecting public education. OEA-Retired has given me this opportunity to remain involved. — Steve Hillis

When I retired it was important for me to stay connected to my profession and colleagues. One of the ways to do this was to become active in OEA-Retired. I had paid my lifetime dues before I retired so I was a member for life. I attended a lunch activity sponsored by Region 1 OEA-Retired members. I realized that by running for the OEA-Retired Board I could stay active and yet not have those day to day worries active members have with teaching and helping in the Association. No bargaining, grievances or work load issues, but just activism by helping gather books for classrooms, donating and helping to raise funds for the Foundation and political activities, too! Traveling with other OEA-Retired members is also a bonus with our OEA-Retired travel opportunities. I am looking forward to a trip to Morocco in 2018 with OEA-Retired. There are many possibilities — check out our website and become a member! It is a way to stay connected to education. — Terri Domenigoni

Being part of OEA-R and SAC-RE for me was just an extension of my previous 20 years of work with educators. It also is nice to be able to be a part of the organization rather than an OEA employee. — Paul Kyllo

Family, spirituality and being an educator gives my life value and purpose. That hasn’t changed since I retired. I want to be involved in an organization that focuses on our children and works to make sure educators have the tools and benefits they need to do the very best they can do. Whether it is attending a town hall, reading to children, talking to legislators or being involved in educational activities, I like being involved in an organization like OEA-Retired that helps me stay current on educational issues and gives me opportunities to continue to make a difference in students' lives. — Judy Richards

As I retired, the OEA was going through a series of significant structural changes. I initially joined OEA-R to understand these changes and to have input on the process. The nice thing about this decision was that the retiree association provides a broad range of social and post-professional opportunities to broaden and engage myself! I enjoy the experience and the ability to impact education. — Leo Thiessen

I joined OEA-Retired because I wanted  to keep close ties to the profession that I had worked in for 34 years. I am still a proud advocate of public education and proudly support those still active in the teaching profession. I believe in the rights of both active and retired educational employees and want to be kept up on current changes impacting us. I remain an active member of OEA-Retired because I enjoy the company of members from all around the state who share a common passion for advancing the educational profession, advocating for retired issues, and having some fun as we work together for our common interests. — Eileen Wende