Many adults have a desire to give back to the communities that have supported and nurtured them, and they find their own ways to do so. Community based learning is but one mechanism for making connections that enable one to satisfy the aspiration to address the many problems of concern. It is a methodology that can be employed in the classroom, the workplace, volunteer sites, retirement centers--wherever adults are working with others to improve their communities and are reflecting on those experiences. With reflection may come personal growth and commitment to a life of community engagement. This article addresses three forward-looking questions: (1) In what ways can community based learning promote lives of commitment in adults?; (2) How can faculty and the staff of community organizations design community based learning experiences, as well as reflection on them, to enhance adult commitment? and (3) What can institutions of higher education do to support faculty as well as community organization staff in their efforts to engage adults in community based learning? For this analysis, the authors draw on many of the facets of adult commitment found by Daloz and colleagues in their study of adults who maintain engagement throughout their lives.