Bobbi Tar of Ansonia to Receive 2025 AARP Connecticut Andrus Award for Community Service

AARP’s Annual Highest Volunteer Honor Recognizes Outstanding Volunteers Age 50-Plus

AARP Connecticut is pleased to announce Bobbi Tar of Ansonia has been selected to receive the 2025 Andrus Award for Community Service, AARP’s most prestigious state volunteer award, for her outstanding volunteerism and commitment to the community. Ms. Tar will be presented with the Andrus Award at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Fairfield County on October 26, 2025, at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. Ms. Tar is receiving the award in recognition of her substantial contributions and significant impact across a variety of Alzheimer Association Connecticut Chapter projects and fundraisers throughout the year

“AARP Connecticut is excited to shine a light on volunteers 50-plus in our state who are using what they’ve learned in life to make a difference in the lives around them,” said John Wilson, AARP Connecticut Volunteer State President. “I believe AARP’s founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus had a person, and a volunteer, with the impact of Ms. Tar in mind when she once said, ‘It is only in the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.’”

The AARP State Andrus Award for Community Service is an annual awards program developed to honor individuals whose service is a unique and valuable contribution to society. The award is named for AARP founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, whose motto “to serve, not to be served” continues to shape our work years after she founded this association to help older Americans age with dignity and purpose.

“My passion and desire to honor my parents, both of whom I lost to this disease, is what

inspires me,” said Ms. Tar. “I am so grateful to have my work recognized by both AARP and the Alzheimer’s Association. The Association has mentored me and provided support since I started this volunteer journey 13 years ago. My parents are my source of hope and strength, and I will continue to honor their legacy by giving to others. I am humbled and forever grateful for the opportunities I have been given.”

In addition to the recognition, AARP Connecticut donates $3,000 on behalf of the Andrus recipient to an eligible non-profit organization of their choosing. Ms. Tar selected the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter as the recipient. The nonprofit organization provides support services, care options and education for families facing the disease, caregivers and professionals. For more information about Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia please call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900 or visit www.alz.org.

A volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter for more than a decade, Ms. Tar thrives on helping people find their own connection to the cause and empowering them to turn their experiences with dementia into action — and their pain into purpose. Whether through education, advocacy, awareness, or event planning, Ms. Tar’s dedication and commitment to raising awareness and broadening the understanding of the Alzheimer’s Association has been crucial in multiple ways.

Ms. Tar coordinates the many logistics of the Fairfield County Walk to End Alzheimer’s from site setup, pre-event planning, ceremony participants, and more. Spotting an opportunity to increase the Alzheimer’s Association’s reach into more communities, she helped organize satellite Walks, including events at Sacred Heart University and in the City of Bridgeport, that have raised nearly $80,000 and connected new audiences with critical resources and support over the past three years.

In addition, Ms. Tar is a board member of the Connecticut chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association who ensures the mission reaches as many people as possible by helping to lead awareness presentations and representing the Alzheimer’s Association at public events. She was also instrumental in the idea for – and implementation of – a registry that assists first responders with quickly locating individuals who wander due to memory loss. After two years of advocacy and collaboration, the Bring Me Back Home a statewide registry developed in partnership with the Connecticut State Police, lives on Connecticut’s state website at www.ct.gov/BMBH.