AARP CA Launches New Regional Teams Volunteer Structure in San Diego

To build AARP's community presence in San Diego, Tiffany Zhang, alongside her Bridge Academy partner, key volunteer leaders, and an inspired team of volunteers, launched a new Regional Teams Volunteer Structure with three regional community action teams. While volunteers had been enjoying their separate in-person monthly meetings, this leadership group also wanted to offer opportunities for all the volunteers to connect across the county and stay up to date on helpful volunteer resources and tools.  

For the first quarterly All-Volunteer Lunch and Learn, 35 volunteers from across San Diego County gathered for a summer BBQ and Portal training with Portal Champion Antoine Cook. Israel Hernandez (ASD-San Diego) lead an impactful icebreaker exercise to kick off the welcome back and continue the relationship building among the volunteers. During this exercise, volunteers were given a single piece of colored paper and instructed to answer the three following questions:

• Describe one of the proudest moments of your life.
• What is something that most people don't know about you?
• Describe why you choose to volunteer with AARP.

After writing their answers, volunteers were asked to fold that paper into a paper airplane. Volunteers and staff then formed a circle, and threw their paper airplanes into the middle. Volunteers were then asked to walk into the middle, and select a paper airplane that was a different color than their own. Volunteers would then read another person's airplane, at which point the owner of that airplane would step forward in the circle. This exercise was a great way to reconnect, celebrate each other's achievements, and remind ourselves of the common values we share as an organization and team. It was a meaningful activity filled with lots of laughter and appreciation for each other.

Some of the best answers to why they chose to volunteer with AARP include:

• "I enjoy giving back to the community"
• "This gives me a chance to age smarter and happier"
• "I believe in the mission to serve and not to be served"
• "I enjoy meeting other people and learning with them"