Community

Andrus Award for Community Service Honors Outstanding Volunteers Age 50-Plus

AARP Connecticut has selected six recipients for its fourth Livable Communities Grant Program dedicated to fund quick-action projects in Connecticut communities that will help make immediate improvements or jumpstart long-term progress that will support residents. AARP Connecticut has funded 22 projects since the inception of the grant program in 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges across the country, and the programs funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) are designed to address those challenges including those related to expanding access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet service, also known as broadband.

Of the nearly 218,000 veterans in Connecticut, only 26% have used their benefits at VA health care, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

AARP CT Livable Communities Grant Application

AARP Connecticut announced three Connecticut organizations will receive 2021 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.2 million awarded among 244 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects to promote livable communities by improving housing, transportation, public spaces, civic engagement, and connection with family, friends, and neighbors with an emphasis on the needs of the 50-plus. Many of this year’s awards support revitalizing communities adversely impacted by the pandemic and include a focus on diversity, inclusion, and disparities.

2021 was a very unusual year at the Connecticut General Assembly. The Connecticut Capitol may have been closed to the public because of COVID-19 restrictions, but AARP Connecticut staff and volunteers were still vocal and active, virtually advocating on behalf of older adults and submitting nearly 50 pieces of legislative testimony. Below is a summary of the AARP Connecticut-supported bills that successfully passed both the House and Senate and are expected to be signed into law.

AARP is now accepting nominations for its 2021 Connecticut Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors an outstanding volunteer in the state who is sharing their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members. Do you know an extraordinary volunteer age 50 or over who should receive AARP’s most prestigious Connecticut volunteer award? The deadline is September 15, so nominate them now.

The following post was submitted by Paul Tarbox, manager of advocacy and communications with the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling

AARP Connecticut’s Disrupt Aging course covers demographic and aging trends, ageism, the importance of recognizing older adults as multidimensional individuals and examining everyone’s stake in the aging trend.