Following Dr. Martin Luther King’s words on service

 

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words evoke one of the principal tenets of AARP; that by serving others, we can transform lives and enhance communities.

 

King spoke about the importance of renouncing our own needs and focusing on the needs of our greater community. AARP and its thousands of volunteers take this concept to heart each day across the country.

 

The AARP volunteers offer their time, skills and passion for tasks ranging from packing nutritious meals and tutoring underserved children to helping 50-plus adults file their taxes and drive more safely.  They are advocating on behalf of others with local community leaders, state politicians, even congressional representatives on issues that impact our lives. And they are helping people care for themselves and loved ones in a myriad of ways.

 

All volunteer services, from the simple to the complex, help to enhance communities and transform lives.  As King said, “whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

It only takes time and the desire to look outside our own lives and concerns and to instead focus on the well-being of those around us.  As AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus said, “The human contribution is the essential ingredient. It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”

 

AARP invites you to check out volunteer opportunities here in California. 

 

“Doctor King taught us the power of service.  Our amazing volunteers celebrate his legacy as they impact and enrich our communities each day,” said Antoine Cook, California associate state director of community.

 For more information about volunteering for AARP, click here

King once said that “life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”  AARP’s volunteers have so very many answers.