AARP Arkansas honors volunteer leaders with 2017 awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 11, 2017                                                          

CONTACT:  Michael Rowett
501-249-3841
  mrowett@aarp.org

LITTLE ROCK— Classie Green of Pine Bluff is the 2017 recipient of the Andrus State Award for Community Service, AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award.

Green received the award on the second day of AARP Arkansas’ annual Volunteer Summit, held Tuesday and today in Little Rock. Also presented today was AARP Arkansas’ 2017 Distinguished Service Award, to Herman Satterfield of Russellville.

The awards were presented by Charlie Wagener, AARP’s State Volunteer President.

The Andrus Award is AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service. The award recognizes outstanding individuals who made their communities better in ways that are consistent with AARP’s mission, vision and commitment to volunteer service, and who inspire others to volunteer.

AARP’s commitment to volunteer service can be traced back to the life and vision of founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. From the beginning, her motto, “To serve, not to be served,” has shaped AARP’s community service efforts at the national, state and local levels. The Andrus Award winner is nominated by his or her peers and the award recipient is chosen by a special selection committee consisting of AARP Arkansas volunteer leaders.

This year’s Andrus Award recipient, Classie Green, has a distinguished and impressive legacy of accomplishment as a volunteer leader. She retired from nursing after 40 years and is involved in diverse community activities such as the American Red Cross and the local NAACP chapter; serves as coordinator of activities and programs in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and also gives her time to the county fair and Pine Bluff Expo.

Classie exemplifies “ what it means to do for others who can’t do for themselves because of certain limitations. She enhances the dignity of aging. … Classie’s achievements indicate a willingness to take a chance on doing something positive. She has a ‘BRING IT ON’ attitude—“We can work something out. Hit the ground running. WE SHALL OVERCOME. Her leadership in AARP Chapter 323 has encouraged many persons to become [chapter] members. The cognizance of outlining and organizing gives a feeling of wanting to belong—consistent with the principles of AARP.”

Because so many high-quality volunteers have historically been nominated for the Andrus Award, AARP Arkansas created the Distinguished Service Award and it is given to the nominee who is runner-up for the Andrus Award.

Herman Satterfield of Russellville, this year’s Distinguished Service Award winner, began work with the Senior Companion Volunteer Program in 1992, at the age of 71. In Herman’s 25 years of service, he has assisted over 30 elderly and disabled clients remain in their homes.

From the nomination form:

“He spent 811 hours in the last year dedicated to volunteering as a senior companion and he is looking to break that record this year. … All of his current clients are younger than he is,” according to the nomination form. “Mr. Satterfield has spent his entire life in service to others. He never misses a meeting, never misses an assignment and is never late with paperwork. At 95 years old, he is one of the hardest workers we have in our program. … He changes the lives of his clients every day by teaching them that they are important members of our community and are worthy of love and support.”

The other nominees for the Andrus Award this year were:

• Shirley Blankenship of Horseshoe Bend
• Rhonda Brooks of Monticello
• Jeff Carr of Little Rock
• Johnetta Crumbly of Widener
• Gayle Gilbert of Hot Springs Village
• Ruby Morrow of Marvell
• Gary Nichols of Hot Springs
• Warren Searls of Hot Springs Village
• Hazel Sheets of Cabot.
• Horace Smith of Van Buren
• Dick Suits and Johnnie Wood of Hackett
• Jerry Yates of Bald Knob

More information about AARP Arkansas activities and the key role of our volunteers is available on the Web at www.aarp.org/ar; on Facebook at www.aarp.org/AARPArkansas; and on Twitter @ARAARP

 

About AARP

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.