By Mary Lackie

Members of a Golden Age Club weren’t satisfied playing cards and working with crafts. They wanted jobs so they could make money.

From this desire for work, the Golden Age Employment Service opened in 1957 with the motto, “Experience is Ageless,” no money, and a few dedicated volunteers. “People wanted jobs, so we started finding the jobs,” said Mrs. Jeanne Herzog, director, who began as a volunteer herself.

The non-sectarian, free equal-opportunity service sponsored by the Atlanta Section of the National Council of Jewish Women. The men’s advisory committee approached employers and over the years the list of small businesses and companies in the five-county metropolitan area who offer jobs to applicants has grown to 1,500 and is still expanding, Mrs. Herzog said.

“There are people who come in to find work and say, ‘You aren’t going to be able to get me a job.’ We tell them we can because our employers have found that in general they are good workers. Our applicants try a little harder, because it gets harder to find work,” the director said.

Some applicants are so pleased to find work that they send donations to the employment service because they want to help other people. “One applicant who had night job had to find other work so he could care for his invalid wife. Now he is employed as a clerk and works from 9 to 5 p.m. He came in here and donated a week’s salary. We don’t send people out to a place where we don’t think they have a chance of getting a job,” Mrs. Herzog added.

She explained that it is much easier to find employment for people who have had previous work in the ‘middle echelon of skills.’ “Office workers are much easier to place than an ex-vice president of a company, or a man who has done yard work all his life and has heart trouble. What do you do with him?” Jobs go in and out of style and some types of work have been taken over by automation. Social security does not fully support people, but the new Federal law on discrimination in employment should make it easier for people over 50 to find work. “We try to match skills and match areas in the city for the applicants. This is one thing we have to do in order to have an effective and happy working situation,” said the director.

The Service employs three full-time and two part-time staff members. Mrs. Sarah Danhoff, intake supervisor said, “I came in here and asked for work, and I am still here. One man came in the day after his retirement. He had worked for 37 years and wanted to apply for a job, but said, “I’ll be fighting the college kids right now.”

To boost the morale of the applicants, the staff tries to arrange appointments for job interviews the same day or the day after people apply, Mrs. Danhoff said.

Both women credited the efforts of volunteers who work at the employment service. “They really run this place. Most of them are housewives who work here three days a week. One reason they do so well is that they are willing to listen to people and take a personal interest in them. The ‘hired help’ are here for continuity,” Mrs. Herzog added. The 30-40 volunteers interview, keep records, arrange appointments and check to see if people are satisfied with their new jobs.

In the year ending June 12, 1968, the annual report listed 317 placements in the 50 -61 age bracket, 268 in the 62 -71 age bracket, and 62 placements of people 72 years of age and over. During the year, the service received 1,850 job offers and processed 1,422 applications for employment.

The Service offices are located in the Council House at 793 Piedmont Ave., N.E. and shares the building with the Golden Age Club, also sponsored by the Atlanta Section of the National Council of Jewish Women.

The non-sectarian club’s activities are social and charitable. Some projects include sewing slippers and stuffed toys as well as volunteer work. “We have sent boxes to Milledgeville, toys to Grady Hospital and the Cancer Home, and convalescent homes. We send articles whenever calls come in from families in need,” said Mrs. Sarah Spier.

Mrs. Viola Key, who was busy addressing envelopes for the Club’s newsletter, added, “You would be surprised at what these little old ladies can do.”