AARP Honors Jackson Senior Center Director

Jeffrey Kaphan

Jackson’s Becky Zaist was awarded the Eddie Wadda Community Service Award by AARP Wyoming at the organization’s Volunteer Recognition Dinner in Casper, Tuesday.

Through her work in Jackson’s AARP Community Group, seniors feel as though they have a voice with the City Council, County Commissioners, and other governmental entities. That feeling is reflected in the work Becky and the Jackson chapter have done in offering ideas for handicapped parking, age-friendly benches, and grandparent/grandchildren park locations. Zaist and her community group were also key in helping Jackson to gain the Age-Friendly designation through AARP.

In 1976, Zaist moved to Wyoming from Indiana and worked as Outreach Counselor to the Elderly with the Community Counseling Center in Jackson. After living overseas for nine years she returned to Jackson in 1996 and taught Spanish to elementary students, worked at Public Health, and with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program for several years.

In 2007 she returned to her passion of working with seniors as Executive Director of the Senior Center of Jackson Hole. In addition to her Senior Center role, for the past three years Becky has been instrumental in getting the Age Friendly Jackson Hole group off the ground and serves as co-chair with local attorney, Jean Day.

The AARP Community Contact Award was renamed the Eddie Wadda Community Service Award in 2012 in honor of former AARP Wyoming volunteer Eddie Wadda, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and an outstanding AARP Community Volunteer.