Former AARP state leaders receive recognition for their contributions to helping older adults

RALEIGH -- Former AARP North Carolina volunteer leaders Richard "Dick" and Diana "Dee" Hatch received recognition for their long-time contributions to improving the lives of older adults in North Carolina.

The Hatches, along with aging advocate Polly Williams, were presented with Pioneer Awards by the NC Coalition on Aging, a statewide alliance composed of 61 organizations including AARP that are focused on aging issues in North Carolina.

The Pioneer Award was established in 2016 to recognize individuals who have made long-time outstanding contributions to the field of aging in North Carolina.  This years award recipients have been long-time passionate aging advocates and leaders of the Coalition on Aging.   Their work over the years has helped to guide the development of the Coalition and to ensure that addressing the needs of our state’s older citizens remains the focus of the organization, policymakers and stakeholders in the field of aging.

Among his many accomplishments, Dick began advocating for older adults in North Carolina in 1990, first as a member of AARP’s state legislative committee and later as its Chairman.  In those capacities he lobbied successfully for and against bills in the NC General Assembly affecting the aging.  Dick was a founding member of the NC Coalition on Aging and drafted its bylaws which are still in use today.

Like her husband Dick, Dee is involved in many aspects of aging policy. She began her career as an aging advocate in North Carolina when she was selected in 2000 to participate in the Duke Senior Leadership Initiative. At the same time she became an active volunteer with AARPNC, the AARP Cary Chapter and with the Triangle Older Women’s League.  In 2005 Dee was selected to serve as North Carolina’s AARP State President where she served through 2011.