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AARP AARP States Maine Community

Thank you, Volunteers! It's National Volunteer Month!

thank you

Your Time Makes a World of Difference!

 

April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month and at AARP Maine, we are grateful and honored to work with extraordinary volunteers every year.  The work of these dedicated individuals propels AARP’s mission “to serve, not to be served.”  This phrase was coined by our founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, more than 50 years ago and it is certainly still true today.

As State Director, I am privileged to work side-by-side with many of our volunteers in Maine.  Together, we give speeches, testify at the state house on issues of importance to our members, meet with members of Congress and the state legislature, engage with members of the media and community leaders, participate in planning activities at the AARP Maine State Office, train other volunteers and, along with the state office staff, help direct many of our campaigns. I know firsthand that it is the incredible hard work and dedication of every one of our volunteers that makes it possible for AARP to accomplish all that it does on behalf of the 200,000 members we serve in Maine.

I would like to point out a few highlights of achievement from the last few months.  First of all, you may have taken an AARP Driver Safety course which is administered through AARP Foundation.  You may not have known this, but the program is taught and managed entirely by volunteers here in Maine and across the nation!   Did you file your state and federal income taxes through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program for tax year 2023?  Those returns, more than 10,000 each year in Maine, are filed by hundreds of IRS-trained volunteers for free.

Additionally, some of our volunteers are reaching out to AARP members throughout Maine urging them to contact their legislators on issues that affect our most at-risk residents.  Those issues include access to health care options, fair and affordable utility rates, support for Maine's 166,000 family caregivers, affordable and accessible high-speed internet and much more. Volunteers join us each to deliver testimony, speak with legislators, and speak up on the issues that matter to us all.

In addition, our speakers bureau on scam and fraud prevention is entirely volunteer-run. These dynamic individuals deliver presentations in communities large and small both in person and online. They host a monthly Fraud Watch over Zoom to answer questions and help Mainers find helpful resources to stay safe from scams. Visit us here to learn more.

These are just some of the many ways our volunteers help us make a difference throughout Maine.  If you are looking for ways to volunteer in your own community, visit us here.

If you already volunteer with AARP, we thank you wholeheartedly for your hard work and commitment to the issues we address in the state and on the national level.  In whatever way you choose to help others, you are making a difference and we applaud your passion.

AARP helps people fulfill their goals and dreams.  We were founded in 1958 because one person, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, believed she could help others.  Today, AARP has nearly 38 million members nationwide. One person really can make a difference.

I look forward to our continued work together.

 

Noel Bonam

AARP Maine State Director

 

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About AARP Maine
Contact information and more from your state office. Learn what we are doing to champion social change and help you live your best life.