STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Evangeline Lincoln said even though she’s 62 years old she doesn’t feel “old yet.”
This is why after she retired from the city Department of Probation in 2017 after more than 30 years on the job, she decided to go back to work.
“I am still able to do and I can still offer a lot, and I knew that I wasn’t going to shut the door forever because another door closed,” Lincoln said.
She went back to work for the city through the Department for the Aging’s Silver Stars program.
Silver Stars allows city retirees to return to work for the city part-time. By enlisting experienced city civil service retirees, the program allows city agencies to staff their workforce with talented, skilled professionals, while also gaining cost-saving measures and an expedited hiring process.
Lincoln’s time as a probation officer allowed her to educate and elevate people, letting them know their life is not limited to their surroundings.
“As a [probation] officer you’re not just meeting with people, you’re speaking with them and giving them opportunities to advance themselves. I would get them involved in workshops and activities so they can get themselves to that next level and see the sky really is the limit,” Lincoln told the Advance/SILive.com.
“I’m just fortunate that I was able to fulfill that dream for myself, that I was able to help people and give them opportunities that in whatever situation they found themselves, they were not stuck, and they can come out of it, grow, and learn from it,” she said.
Her more than 30 years of experience dealing with people from all walks of life gave her communication skills she was able to transfer to her new job as a test proctor for people taking city exams at the city Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) testing site in Queens.
Most recently, she proctored the promotional lieutenants test for the NYPD.
“Between the morning and the afternoon over 300 candidates came through to take the exam – males, females, different ages. You could feel the intensity of the nervousness amongst them all, and I was able to help bring a sense of calm and give them the assurance that it’s going to be okay. I’m so fortunate that I’m able to be in that kind of position and using communication skills and encouraging them as they are pursuing their careers,” she said.
“It’s a really great opportunity that I have right now, and I’m grateful,” she said.
The Silver Stars program is something she would recommend to all retirees or those close to retirement. The flexibility of hours, income – especially for those who aren’t old enough to collect their full social security or pension – and the ease of applying are appealing, she said.
“The other added part of Silver Stars is you don’t have go at it alone, you have support. It’s an excellent program and I truly have benefited from it thus far,” she said.
‘WE CAN WORK WITH YOU’
Department for the Aging Commissioner Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez told the Advance/SILive.com it’s important to make sure that older adults can age in place, live in their communities and live a life that they enjoy.
Financial security is a big part of being able to do that, Cortes-Vasquez said, and being able to work part-time allows them to set themselves up financially.
When Silver Stars first launched in 2021 only five city agencies were participating. There are now 16 city agencies that partner with the Department for the Aging for the Silver Stars program.
“The way we measure success is by the number of city agencies that are interested in the program, but also by the number of city retirees that are interested in the program. Right now we have about 500 individuals who are interested in the Silver Stars program,” Cortes-Vasquez said.
One of the challenges is matching individuals with a job that will make the best use of their skills.
“The magic happens when we look at the skills and match them or transfer the knowledge learned into new skills that an agency may need. It’s very rare that you’re going to have a 100% match, but you’re going to get a person who has a lot of needed skills or where skills are comparable, and can fit the needs of the agency,” she said.
Job titles vary from architect to labor relations associate. The Department for the Aging is currently recruiting Silver Stars with professional backgrounds in finance, communications, legal affairs and human resources in a variety of agencies, including Office of Emergency Management, Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, Health and Hospitals, and Human Resources Administration.
Although Staten Island doesn’t have as many city agencies as Manhattan or other boroughs, there are many uniformed retired personnel on Staten Island who could work in other boroughs if interested in the program, she said.
“I want to challenge everybody to not just think of ‘I was a recording secretary’ or ‘I was a procurement person,’ but start thinking about all of the functions and skills that were developed doing those jobs. We can work with you to make all of that transferrable,” she said.
Retired municipal workers can call Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469) for more information or attend an upcoming virtual information session. Click here https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJErfumtrjwtGtHQzyV2uw-gTFbUz9rDXu6K or go to Meeting Registration - Zoom to register for an information session.
MORE ABOUT SILVER STARS:
NYC jobs available for retired city employees, make up to $35K for part-time work
Retired for 3 years, this NYC employee is back to work via Silver Stars program
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