AARP Wyoming Honors Laramie Volunteer, Jody Lowe

Laramie’s Jody Lowe was honored by AARP Wyoming with its Eddie Wadda Community Service Award Thursday evening at the organization’s Volunteer Recognition Dinner in Casper.

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. Wadda was a great example of the power of volunteers who are willing to work for those in their community.

In 2018, AARP Wyoming honors two women whose community is better for the work they are doing, Lowe and Cheyenne’s Judy Weickum.

Lowe is well-known in the Laramie Community as one if its most active volunteers. Lowe’s work with Feeding Laramie Valley is nothing short of inspiring. This summer, she volunteered with the “Kids Out To Lunch,” program, encouraging kids to try new foods. She also volunteered with Feeding Laramie Valley in Laramie, taking part in a project called, “Growing Resilience,” which studied the effects of gardening on the health and well-being of those with two or more chronic illnesses. In addition to planting two raised garden beds, she also helped collect blood pressure, weight and strength data for the study.

Since 2014, she has logged at least 42 hours for the Food and Fun in the Park event, where she helps set-up serving, cooking, and cleaning up after the event. She also prepares and serves lunch for the Higher Ground Fair through Feeding Laramie Valley.

Lowe is also a member of the Foster Grandparents of the Wyoming Rocky Mountains, working 20 hours a week with kindergarteners. She even learned new ways to do math in order to help tutor students.

Lowe was born on the Eastern Plains of Colorado in Akron, the fourth of five children. She and her husband moved to Laramie months later, where they had their daughter, Jolean. Lowe worked at Buttery’s Grocery Store for 25 years and WWC Engineering for another 10 before officially retiring in 2017.