Baby boomers take up volunteer work if it matters.

Byline: Marsha King

SEATTLE _ Days after retiring from a 31-year government career, Judi Cotner Montoya set about creating her next identity _ community volunteer.

The 61-year-old Seattle-area resident knew what she wanted: a challenge that demanded the same energy as her old midmanagement job and used her skills in public speaking, mediation and management.

"I see retirement as a time to give back, explore my passions and see what lights me up," she said. "That's the beauty of it."

Cotner Montoya belongs to a new breed of older volunteers _ baby boomers and the generation just ahead of them _ who are skilled, mission-driven and looking for encore careers, not stuffing envelopes and licking stamps. Bill Gates and his switch from the business world into full-time philanthropy at age 50 is considered emblematic of the movement.

"They don't want to just go and volunteer," said Nancy Long, executive director of the nonprofit Executive Service Corps of Washington. "They …