AARP Alaska

AARP Community Ambassador Nancy Crespo moved to Manassas, Virginia, three years ago after a varied career as a biology researcher, science teacher, and high school counselor and administrator. In November 2019 she was one of three volunteers to receive AARP Virginia’s President’s Award for Community Service, which recognized the recipients’ significant contributions to the work of AARP Virginia over the past year. I spoke with Nancy at The Swiss Bakery in Springfield, Virginia. Our conversation has been edited for length.

Visit here for some quick best practices for individual board members and for your board as a whole.

In partnership with Howard University, TIAA and AARP are hosting an event about building greater financial wellness among African Americans. This event will offer the opportunity to hear evidence from researchers, academics and industry experts on critical financial issues facing all generations.

Commonwealth residents tell how spiraling prescription drug costs changed life for them and the ones they love.

Kimberly Harper, Board Chair of the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC), says the most effective board members are mission-driven, with a "fire in their belly" about the community they serve. They believe deep in their heart that they are making a difference. Still, passion is not always enough; a successful board member also brings certain competencies to the table, such as good communication skills, cultural awareness, and, yes, basic financial knowledge. To hear Kimberly discuss seven important competencies in more depth, go to 28:35 in the audio recording at this link. She also discusses responsibilities and social etiquette for board service; go here for a quick list you can download.

AARP Honors the Legacy of Cesar Chavez

I recently took part in a roundtable discussion at the AARP Colorado state office in Denver with local Latino representatives. We met to discuss the unprecedented number of events occurring in 2020 that will showcase Latino presence and influence on American society.

If Dr. Robert Lindsay has his way, Virginia’s “Welcome” signs would all read “Virginia is for Caregivers” instead of the famous “Virginia is for Lovers.” According to a 2015 survey, one in five Virginians serves as a caregiver in some capacity, and these numbers are likely to increase as the Baby Boomer population ages. And Dr. Lindsay, founder of the Lindsay Institute for Innovations in Caregiving, believes Virginia communities should do more to support those in caregiving roles.

Huge numbers of Americans are living longer and working longer, sometimes in more than one career. Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP, wants us to rethink outdated beliefs about aging—such as that older people take more from society than they give. “How do we start thinking about aging in a positive way?” she asks. Watch a short video here of Jenkins explaining her thinking.

Join AARP Virginia and the McLean Community Village Association (MCVA) for lunch at Mylo’s Grill in McLean!