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AARP AARP States New Hampshire Volunteering

AARP NH Recognizes Mary Roberge as 2020 Andrus Award Recipient

Mary Roberget Andrus Winner 2020.jpg

The AARP New Hampshire Andrus Award for Community Service honors 50+ Granite Staters who make a powerful difference in their communities. Winners are nominated by their fellow AARP volunteers. Nominations are evaluated by AARP New Hampshire based on how the volunteer’s work has improved the community, supported AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers. The award is named after our founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, an educator and champion of aging.

We are honored to recognize this year’s winner--Mary Roberge from Manchester, NH.

AARP NH super-volunteer Mary Roberge is always on the move and she certainly wears many hats within our organization. Between her roles as Lead Volunteer for the Greater Manchester Community Planning Team, her work on the Capitol City Task Force, to presenting on the Speakers Bureau, she is always keeping busy.

Before Mary began volunteering with AARP in June 2015, she worked for Ford Motor Credit Company. Seeking a change from the corporate world after she retired in 2000, she worked for  a financial planner and started working with The Moore Center in 2007 as a Medicare and Client Benefits Specialist. 

Mary began her journey with AARP NH after attending a “Life Reimagined” session and a separate orientation and said she “wanted to try almost everything.” She started with tabling at Social Security seminars and volunteering at our Movies for Grownups events. Her experience on a national AARP communications project helped established the popular AARP NH Volunteer Summit.

For the historic 2020 presidential election, Mary served as the volunteer team captain for Greater Manchester and attended nearly every event where she met candidates and advocated on behalf of AARP. Her background in finance perfectly positioned her to speak to candidates about the future of Medicare and the high cost of life-saving prescription medications.

Mary is the epitome of what it means to “Disrupt Aging.” She earned a journalism degree from Becker College in Worcester, MA and then headed to the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT for an additional year. After a hiatus, she went back to school and finished her Bachelor’s degree at age 50 with New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University). At age 52, she received her Master’s degree in business.

“I am always wanting to learn and know different things,” says Mary. ”I’ve got a curious nature.” At this statement she laughs and adds, “I keep telling people I was a cat in another life.” A self-proclaimed cat whisperer, Mary finds cats always following in her path and that path will continue as far as she’s concerned.

“The door is never closed, it is always open,” she says.

The AARP New Hampshire Andrus Award for Community Service honors 50+ Granite Staters who make a powerful difference in their communities. Winners are nominated by their fellow AARP volunteers. Nominations are evaluated by AARP New Hampshire based on how the volunteer’s work has improved the community, supported AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers. The award is named after our founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, an educator and champion of aging.

We are honored to recognize this year’s winner--Mary Roberge from Manchester, NH.

AARP NH super-volunteer Mary Roberge is always on the move and she certainly wears many hats within our organization. Between her roles as Lead Volunteer for the Greater Manchester Community Planning Team, her work on the Capitol City Task Force, to presenting on the Speakers Bureau, she is always keeping busy.

Before Mary began volunteering with AARP in June 2015, she worked for Ford Motor Credit Company. Seeking a change from the corporate world after she retired in 2000, she worked for  a financial planner and started working with The Moore Center in 2007 as a Medicare and Client Benefits Specialist. 

Mary began her journey with AARP NH after attending a “Life Reimagined” session and a separate orientation and said she “wanted to try almost everything.” She started with tabling at Social Security seminars and volunteering at our Movies for Grownups events. Her experience on a national AARP communications project helped established the popular AARP NH Volunteer Summit.

For the historic 2020 presidential election, Mary served as the volunteer team captain for Greater Manchester and attended nearly every event where she met candidates and advocated on behalf of AARP. Her background in finance perfectly positioned her to speak to candidates about the future of Medicare and the high cost of life-saving prescription medications.

Mary is the epitome of what it means to “Disrupt Aging.” She earned a journalism degree from Becker College in Worcester, MA and then headed to the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT for an additional year. After a hiatus, she went back to school and finished her Bachelor’s degree at age 50 with New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University). At age 52, she received her Master’s degree in business.

“I am always wanting to learn and know different things,” says Mary. ”I’ve got a curious nature.” At this statement she laughs and adds, “I keep telling people I was a cat in another life.” A self-proclaimed cat whisperer, Mary finds cats always following in her path and that path will continue as far as she’s concerned.

“The door is never closed, it is always open,” she says.

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