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Chuck is just one of millions of active American retirees whose post-career contributions are being highlighted during Older Americans Month in May. The month’s theme, “Never Too Old to Play,” is a tongue-in-cheek recognition that, for seniors like Chuck and Cathy, “play” can actually mean working harder than ever but loving it more.
Chuck says his seeing the impact of his charitable work easily matches the satisfaction he got as a business entrepreneur.
“I’ve volunteered time as a board member, then treasurer of El Buen Samaritano (The Good Samaritan) for about seven years,” Kline said. “We serve thousands of low income, uninsurable people at our health clinic and also provide educational classes for adults and children and other social services for poorer, primarily Hispanic families.”
At first, this shift to church-based charity outreach may seem out of character for a guy whose career has been based on highly technical challenges such as creating and marketing ethylene glycol-based products. But he’s also experienced in dealing with deeply human issues. When a gas leak from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in India killed more than 3,000 people in 1984, he was given the key role of investigating the company’s corporate culture and identifying changes to ensure the tragedy would never be repeated.
These days, the Klines are dedicating themselves to a fight against the less dramatic but far more widespread tragedy of wasted human potential.
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