Congratulations, Marcus Mitchell

AARP Rhode Island Recognizes Marcus for His Dedication and Commitment to Community Service

Marcus Mitchell has been chosen by AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, as recipient of its 2024 AARP Rhode Island Andrus Award for Community Service -- the organization’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service.

“We are delighted to bestow this honor on Marcus,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor. “He has been a shining star in our galaxy of volunteers, particularly during his term as Volunteer State President. As a leader of our Speakers Bureau, Marcus has built a dedicated volunteer team that delivers vital information on Social Security, fraud prevention, caregiving and brain health at community gatherings across the state. He also has been an effective advocate on state and federal issues important to 50-plus Rhode Islanders.”

 “I am deeply honored to receive this prestigious award and to share it with all of the great volunteers who are AARP’s lifeblood,” said Mitchell. “I have enjoyed every moment spent volunteering at AARP Rhode Island and I look forward to many more. Our work is important, rewarding and lasting. And I will carry the friendships I have made along the way for the rest of my life.”

<Click on the image to watch the Andrus video>

“We are so grateful to Marcus for the work that he does,” Taylor said. “He is admired for his thoughtful leadership style, his signature smile and his eagerness to hop aboard any AARP Rhode Island volunteer endeavor and lend an extra hand. And he has done all this while also serving as a volunteer leader at many other community organizations and agencies in Providence and statewide – Grow Smart RI, The Village Common, the Age-Friendly Providence Steering Committee, the RI Commission on Human Rights, the Miriam Hospital Foundation, Meals and Wheels of RI, the Statewide Planning Commission and more.

“This annual award is a symbol to the public that we can all work together for the greater good,” added Taylor. “AARP has long valued the spirit of volunteerism, and the important contributions volunteers make to their communities, neighbors, and the programs they serve. Marcus’s service embodies the words of our founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, whose motto was, ‘To serve, not to be served.’”

 Andrus Award recipients across the nation are chosen for their ability to enhance the lives of AARP members and prospective members, improve the community in or for which the work was performed, and inspire others to volunteer.

Marcus Mitchell has been an active volunteer with AARP Rhode Island since 2019. He is the immediate past Volunteer State President and currently serves on the state office Executive Council. Additionally, he co-leads the AARP Rhode Island Speakers Bureau and volunteers as a Volunteer Portal trainer with the AARP Office of Volunteer Engagement.

Beyond AARP, Marcus’s community service is extensive. He is the Founding President of the Providence Community Library, which serves 487,000 visits and 4,600 programs across nine locations in Providence. His other roles include Commissioner with the Rhode Island Commission on Human Rights, author of the National Urban League Young Professionals (NULYP) concept white paper and Founding President of NULYP.

Professionally, Marcus owns a boutique firm specializing in strategic solutions, community issue mediation, disaster response, continuity of operations, and crisis management. He is the author of “Leadership Secrets: Right in the Heart,” co-author of over 15 scientific publications from his career as a cardiovascular science researcher, and editor of “Biotechnology: Business, Regulation & Law.”