Finally, the model is valuable for its role in expanding the capacity of the organizations that implement it. The Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center uses a variety of approaches to encourage community participation in its Experience Corps program. SNBC staff canvass senior centers, senior clubs, and other community organizations to recruit volunteers. Flyers and other outreach materials are printed in English, Russian, and Chinese and distributed around the neighborhood and in other parts of the city. The Sunset Beacon have informed the city about the program.
Staff also work with local and neighborhood government and councils to promote the program.
Prospective applicants are reminded that no prior experience with volunteer or working with children is required. Once an applicant is accepted, he or she receives 15 hours of mandatory intensive training on areas such as communicating effectively with teachers and youth, helping children sustain attention and focus, working with diverse populations, and understanding the way in which the school system itself works. After training and once volunteers have begun working with children and youth, SNBC holds regular meetings in which members and volunteers discuss their experiences and share what they've learned. According to Diana Tuite, Site Coordinator for SNBC's Experience Corps program, the model advances the community-building mission of the Beacon Center by demonstrating the value of involving older adults in programs serving younger generations. Experience Corps programs differ from site to site, but the value of providing older adults stimulating opportunities for learning and service and of promoting mutually respectful intergenerational relationships within communities is central to the Experience Corps model itself.