Torrington’s Gardetto Honored By AARP Wyoming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Gardetto has reminded Wyoming of its responsibility to all its citizens during her career, especially in an underserved community. Now she is doing the same in retirement. AARP Wyoming honored her for her efforts with the Eddie Wadda Community Service Award during the organization’s State Volunteer Recognition Awards Dinner Tuesday night in Casper.

The award is named after Eddie Wadda, an AARP volunteer and Eastern Shoshone Tribal Liaison who kept AARP informed of the needs of those on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Prior to joining AARP as a volunteer, Gardetto spent 36 years at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington where she helped to design and administer programs and services for students with an emphasis on underserved populations including single parents, displaced homemakers, economic disadvantaged, ethnic minority, first generation college students, senior adults, and those suffering from family violence and sexual assault  In retirement, Gardetto has used her organizational ability and strategic thought to help local citizenry to become more engaged and to better understand the full impact of current public policy proposals, such as health care reform—Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security—through the sponsorship of public informational forums. She has helped her community this year with events such as movies for gown-ups, coordination of training on the development of intergenerational city parks, and other presentations and social events for senior adults through the Goshen County AARP Community Action Group.

Anne was awarded honorary “Emeritus Status” upon her retirement from Eastern Wyoming College (2010) by the EWC Board of Trustees, ending an academic career that offered impact on Wyoming’s citizens rivaled by few. Gardetto is held in very high esteem statewide as she has been appointed to posts by three Wyoming Governors. Among those appointments was to the state Council on the Humanities, as well as a seat on the advisory council to the state’s predecessor to the Wyoming Department of Family Services. In addition to her appointments, she was also appointed by the US Commission on Civil Rights to the Wyoming State Advisory Committee on Civil Rights.