The Give-Back Years

Colin L. Powell could have done just about anything after he retired as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: head a think tank, sign on as CEO of a big corporation, some say even run for President of the U.S. What he chose to do instead was to help children become happy, productive citizens. By creating America's Promise--the Alliance for Youth, Powell launched a national movement that has historically competitive organizations in the nonprofit sector collaborating for the first time on hundreds of programs.

The difference between General Powell and hundreds of thousands of other recent retirees is that...