AARP Minnesota

Nancy Alvarado has been awarded the 2024 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service for Minnesota. The annual award is AARP’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award. It recognizes individuals who share their experience, talent, and skills to enrich their communities in ways consistent with AARP’s purpose and vision. Nancy’s unwavering commitment to volunteer service exemplifies the belief of AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, in the power of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

When it comes to artificial intelligence, Zeke Tijerina wants the adults he teaches to realize it doesn’t have to be scary or mysterious. In fact, you may already be using AI without realizing it.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month — a great time to remind ourselves just how much of our lives take place online and the potential threats that exist in the digital world. Any device that stores information or connects to the internet could become a target for cybercriminals seeking to steal from you.

It’s the season of giving, and for those in the spirit, telling the difference between a real charity and a con can be a challenge. Legitimate charities make a big push at year-end for last-minute annual donations. Scammers know this and make their own end-of-year push to line their pockets.

In too many communities across Minnesota, people can’t safely walk to where they need or want to go due to a lack sidewalks, crosswalks or other safety features that make streets safe for pedestrians and drivers.

Do you have an idea to make your community more age-friendly? The Age-Friendly Minnesota Council announced its second round of Community Grants, offering up to $80,000, in support of projects that strengthen and improve communities for people of all ages, including older adults. Applications are due Friday, November 8, 2024, before 4:00 p.m. CT., and the funding period is expected to run from February 2025 through March 2026.

There is nothing more important to our members than Social Security, with 65 million Americans who rely on it. In Minnesota, over 1,082,512 retirees, people with disabilities and their families rely on Social Security for important benefits. This includes around 873,925 Minnesotans over the age of 65. An AARP 2021 survey found that 82% of AARP Members in Minnesota are “Extremely” or “Very Concerned” about Social Security.

People are 20 times more likely to save for retirement if contributions are automatically deducted from their paychecks. Minnesota’s Secure Choice Retirement Program is a new state-sponsored plan designed to help small businesses offer employees an easy way to save for their future. Set to launch after January 2025, Secure Choice is:

AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities

Approved by state lawmakers in 2023, the Minnesota Secure Choice Retirement Program will allow employees who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan, such as a 401(k), at their jobs to contribute to an individual retirement account via automatic payroll deductions.