Volunteering

John Meredith of Colorado Springs was recently named Colorado AARP Foundation Tax-Aide State Coordinator. He will oversee the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide sites and more than 300 volunteers, who prepare tax returns free of charge each year for low- to moderate-income families.

The volunteers and members of the AARP chapters around the state, as well as the country, are amazing people who pitch in when help is needed. They engage people of all ages in their communities through volunteerism, they create lively and fun activities, and they raise money and collect food to help others in need, so it was devastating when more than 20 percent of our Black Forest Chapter members lost their homes in the Black Forest fire that started June 11. The fire took the lives of two people and caused tens of millions in property damage, according to local media reports.

AARP members in the Denver metro region will have opportunity to volunteer for two extremely interesting projects: an effort to interview members of the Hispanic community on their participation in the sixties and seventies Chicano movement; and an audit of transportation options in two Denver metro neighborhoods.

AARP Colorado is proud to announce that the Singing for Seniors Program of the Larimer Chorale has won a national award.

AARP Colorado recently named Terri Potente of Fruita as its State President.

AARP is now accepting nominations for its 2013 Colorado Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors 50+ Coloradans, who are sharing their experience, talent and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.

AARP Foundation Tax Aide Program has finished a third successful year of providing a valuable service to the low income Spanish speaking community in the Denver metro area. Located at Centro San Juan Diego a community center of the Denver Archdiocese, the Tax Aide site is the only one in the state focused primarily on serving Spanish monolinguals. Volunteer tax preparers at the site provided tax preparation services to approximately 230 clients this tax season almost double the number served during the first year the site opened.

Did you know that there are low-income older adults and people with disabilities right in your own community who need your help to remain independent? If you could volunteer a few hours of your time each month, you could enable them to remain independent and in their own homes. For over 30 years, AARP Foundation, AARP’s affiliated charity, has worked with local agencies to deliver AARP Foundation’s Money Management Program in communities nationwide. This essential service uses trained volunteers to help low-income older adults and people with disabilities manage their daily finances and remain in their communities. Some of these vulnerable individuals may have had their electricity turned off or are facing eviction, even though enough money was in their bank account to make the necessary payments. Sadly, most have no family, relatives or friends to help them manage their finances.

AARP would like you to know of a volunteer opportunity at Foothills Art Center, as a Gallery Volunteer for the Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist exhibition. No experience or art knowledge is necessary! Morning & afternoon shifts are available, including weekends. Please contact info@foothillsartcenter.org , or call 303.279.3922, ext. 22 to learn more or sign up.

The AARP Foundation's Housing Solutions Center and Consumer Fraud Prevention projects are picking up speed for the summer season. Colorado volunteers are urgently needed - those with bilingual Spanish language skills in particular.