AARP MAINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF BEACON COMMUNITY, STEADFAST ADVOCATE and CHAMPION IN AGING AWARDS

AARP MAINE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF BEACON COMMUNITY, STEADFAST ADVOCATE and CHAMPION IN AGING AWARDS

AARP Maine Recognizes Organizational and Individual Excellence in Serving Older Adults

 
PORTLAND: AARP Maine is thrilled to recognize a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities as the winner of the AARP Maine Beacon Community Award, two AARP Maine volunteers as the recipients of the AARP Maine Steadfast Advocate Award, and a Portland non-profit for the AARP Maine Champion in Aging Award for 2025.
 
Since 2021, AARP Maine has identified an age-friendly community in Maine to recognize and celebrate each year with its Beacon Community Award. This year’s honoree is Age-Friendly Bowdoinham, a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities since 2019.

“Age-Friendly Bowdoinham is the epitome of what it means to be a collaborative, engaging, action-oriented community that focuses on helping older adults live, and thrive, in place,” said Noël Bonam, AARP Maine State Director. “It is exciting to see that in a relatively short amount of time this remarkable community has made such strides on behalf of older community residents. We are delighted to present this award to them in recognition of their accomplishments.”

“I am incredibly proud to congratulate the Town of Bowdoinham on being honored with the 2025 AARP Beacon Community Award,” said Jason Lamoreau, Town of Bowdoinham Director of Recreation and Community Services. “This recognition reflects Bowdoinham’s unwavering commitment to creating a livable, inclusive, and age-friendly community where residents of all ages can thrive. I especially want to recognize the tireless efforts of Bowdoinham’s Age-Friendly Committee, whose dedication, vision, and hard work have been instrumental in making this achievement possible. It’s a testament to the town’s leadership, vision, and the collaborative spirit that makes Bowdoinham such a special place to call home.”

AARP Maine’s Steadfast Advocate Award celebrates individual volunteers’ countless and unending efforts to support the AARP Maine mission. Said Bonam: “Anne and John White are longtime AARP Maine Advocacy Volunteers who have continually demonstrated their steadfast commitment to the betterment of the lives of older Mainers. We are delighted to present them with this year’s AARP Maine Steadfast Advocate Award.”

Upon receipt of the award, Anne and John White stated, “We are honored to receive the AARP Steadfast Advocate Award for 2025. Volunteering with AAAP has truly enriched our lives, from developing personal connections, participating in community outreach events, helping to provide tax assistance AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, and advocating for issues at the State House that are important to all Mainers, but especially those of us over 50. We always say that we get more from volunteering with AARP than we give, and we encourage anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity to consider AARP.”

A third award, the Champion in Aging Award, was introduced in 2024 and goes to a Maine non-profit that has advanced an activity or initiative for at least two years that is specific to older adults and consistent with AARP’s mission. The winner of this year’s award is Portland Downtown.

“Portland Downtown has initiated meaningful and broad-based programs that benefit local residents for the long-term,” said Bonam. “One effort of note is their plan to provide seating at every bus stop in downtown Portland. Their team has walked every block and identified every bus stop. They clearly recognize the impact these kinds of “small” gestures have on local residents and visitors alike. They clearly embrace AARP’s mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age, and AARP Maine is thrilled to present this year’s Champion in Aging Award to this most deserving organization.”

"Portland Downtown knows that when you focus on making your community accessible, everyone benefits,” said Cary Tyson, Executive Director of Portland Downtown. “Businesses, shoppers, visitors, or the person who just likes to stroll are well-served when we focus on building places that can be loved. To do that, you have to first think about people. That's what we try to do, and that's what AARP Maine does with their many strong community initiatives. We couldn't be prouder to receive this award."

AARP Maine celebrated all three honorees at its annual meeting held on October 24th in Freeport.

To learn more about AARP and our work in Maine, visit www.aarp.org/me and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @aarpmaine. For more information about volunteering with AARP Maine, click here.