Retired Emporia Educator Wins National Award

AARP Kansas congratulates retired educator Jack Melhorn, Emporia, winner of the 2014 NRTA With Our Youth! Excellence Award in the individual category.  Melhorn was chosen to receive the award in recognition of his nearly 20 years of volunteer service helping youth through the Juvenile Offenders Citizen Review Board (JOCRB) in Kansas.

“Jack Melhorn embodies the spirit of the NRTA With Our Youth! Award,” said Dara Dann, vice president for NRTA: AARP’s Educator Community. “For nearly two decades, he has counseled youth caught in the criminal justice system to help turnaround their lives. Jack’s service to youth in retirement is evidence that educators are lifelong public servants who never stop putting their skills and passion to work. NRTA is deeply grateful for Jack’s contributions, and we are honored to shine a light on his accomplishments with the 2014 NRTA With Our Youth! Excellence Award,” Dann said.

After teaching sociology for 44 years, Jack pursued certification to work as a volunteer for the JOCRB. The role is complex and time consuming. Jack spends hours reviewing case files, meeting with juveniles, attending hearings, and crafts creative solutions that he hopes enable troubled youth to redirect their lives. In total, he has committed more that 1800 hours of service to the program. Jack often is not informed of the outcomes for juveniles. Nonetheless, he remains committed to working with as many youth as possible to help them start fresh and to maximize their potential.

“Retirement has not stopped educators in Kansas from enhancing the lives of youth and the broader community,” said Interim AARP Kansas Director Ande Bozarth. “We’re so pleased that Jack was chosen for this distinguished award.”

AARP’s Educator Community NRTA creates real possibilities to strengthen America's working and retired education community by protecting their financial security and fostering collaboration and volunteerism. Founded in 1947 by retired educator Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, NRTA has a membership of more than one million active and retired higher-ed and K-12 educators and school personnel at the local, state and national levels. The NRTA network includes a national office in Washington, D.C., 52 state and city associations, and more than 2,700 local associations.

The NRTA With Our Youth! Program was established by NRTA to provide opportunities for retired educators and youth to work together to address the needs of youth and the broader community. Each year, the organization provides national NRTA With Our Youth! volunteer awards to recognize outstanding work of state and local REAs, as well as individual volunteers, donors, and sponsors. Learn more at www.aarp.org.