Appreciating Our Volunteers: Patricia Perez

April 10 ^th marks the beginning of National Volunteer Appreciation Week 2016. Volunteers are an integral part of the work AARP California is able to do in the community, and our esteemed volunteers come to us from all over the state with different backgrounds and experiences, both professional and personal. Throughout National Volunteer Appreciation Week, AARP California will be highlighting volunteers who are sharing their time, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members and help us reach our goal of creating livable communities for all.

We begin our Volunteer Appreciation series with California State President, Patricia Pérez.

 

In addition to volunteering with AARP California, Patricia is an accomplished business owner who enjoys sharing her experiences– both positive and negative – with others.  After experiencing the benefits of AARP as a member for 18 years, she decided to get involved as a volunteer and bring those benefits to the community. As someone who has spent 34 years in a caregiving role, Patricia is also quite passionate about supporting fellow caregivers through her work with the organization.  Patricia says she continues to be pleasantly surprised by the number of young staff members who have dedicated themselves to senior services.

When it comes to volunteering, Patricia enjoys the social aspects such as attending events, meeting new people, and building lasting friendships. As State President, Patricia utilizes the “pebble in the pond” analogy, which says that one small action can have a lasting ripple effect. In her spare time, Patricia loves to hike and enjoy the outdoors. In fact, she is a California State Parks Foundation Trustee and strives to motivate people to visit California’s beautiful parks and beaches. Patricia’s teenage son also keeps her quite busy, as there are often a few of his friends at her house at any given time.

When asked what she would tell someone who is considering volunteering with AARP, Patricia said, “You will be surprised by the joy you get from helping others.  Volunteering is not as selfless as it sounds, yes, you are helping other people, but you get so much more in return.  There is a volunteer opportunity at AARP regardless of your ability and becoming a volunteer is easy – just pick up the phone”.

AARP California would like to thank Patricia Perez for her tireless efforts and dedication to the AARP mission.

Do you know someone like Patricia, who is using his or her skills and experience to make a significant difference in your community? If so, honor his or her dedication, commitment, and creativity with a nomination for the 2016 AARP California Andrus Award for Community Service -- AARP’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service. Nominations for this year’s award will be accepted through June 3, 2016 at the AARP California office.  Nomination forms are available by contacting Antoine Cook at (626) 585-2608, on the web at www.aarp.org/AndrusAward or by calling 1-888-OUR-AARP (1-888-687-2277).