It's Where the Action Is. And Fun, Too

Get involved, take a stand, meet new people. From the State House to our neighborhoods, we work together to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders 50-plus. And we have a great time doing it.

Livable Communities volunteer co-lead Holly Snyder is the winner of the 2025 Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus Award for Community Service - AARP's most prestigious volunteer honor.

Holly, who also is a member of our Advocacy team, embodies the extraordinary qualities of AARP volunteers who work on behalf of Rhode Islanders age 50+. AARP likes to say it provides volunteers with an opportunity to "turn a lifetime of experience into the experience of a lifetime.” Holly’s career in the social sciences, as a statistical programmer, paralegal, archivist, and college history teacher, truly illustrates this point.

Holly has earned joint master's degrees in History and Library Science at The Catholic University of America and a Ph.D. in Early American History at Brandeis University.

She is a fifth-generation New Englander (also, a seventh-generation Alsatian American and a third-generation Jewish American) who has lived in Southern New England for more than half her life. Her life-long passions include historical fiction, early music, weaving, macrame, bird-watching, gardening and exploring new cuisines.

We'll pay tribute to Holly on December 5 at the annual Andrus Awards Luncheon, taking place at Kirkbrae Country Club in Lincoln. Watch this space for videos and photos!

Thanks to all our volunteers who helped fight fraud with Fraud Fighting Fridays free shredding events across the state. We couldn't have done it without our volunteers. More pics: Cumberland / Bristol / Newport / Providence / Cranston / East Providence / Warwick / North Kingstown

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Make a Local Impact: Join our Livable Communities Team and work with local governments and community leaders to make Age-Friendly improvements to cities and towns throughout the state. Learn about existing efforts in Barrington, Bristol, Cranston, East Providence, Newport, New Shoreham, Pawtucket, Providence and Westerly.

Represent AARP Rhode Island at Community Events: Our Engagement Team travels to health and senior resource fairs and partner agency conferences throughout the state to share AARP’s trusted information and resources with the public. If you enjoy meeting new people, this could be for you.

Deliver Community Presentations: Do you enjoy public speaking and greeting people? Our Speaker’s Bureau conducts AARP presentations in community – both in-person and virtually – on such topics as Fraud Watch, Prepare to Care, Social Security and Six Pillars of Brain Health.

Fight for People 50-Plus on Smith Hill: Our committed Advocacy Team pushes for state legislation to prevent fraud, eliminate Rhode Island's tax on Social Security income, create affordable, accessible housing, support caregivers, improve long-term care, lower the cost of prescription medicines, set up new retirement savings options and more.

Produce Virtual Programs: Our tech-savvy Virtual Program Production Team runs the Zoom platform for our exciting online programming, welcome attendees, take attendance and put resources in the chat box. If you have mastered the Zoom platform (or are eager to learn), we need you.

Tell Our Story: Have a background or interest in communications? Our Communications Team writes blog posts, articles and letters-to-the-editor for local newspapers and hyper-local web sites, enhances our social media presence, and more.

Keep Our Volunteers Organized: Tech-savvy volunteers work closely with AARP Rhode Island office staff to help our volunteer teams communicate with each other, keep their assignments up-to-date, access resources and fill out expense reports.

Driver Safety Training: Become part of the safe-driving solution in your community. Join AARP Driver Safety as a volunteer to organize and teach in classrooms in community centers, libraries and other venues near you.

Tax-Aide: AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is looking for compassionate, friendly people to join our team for the 2025 tax season. Neighbors like you help prepare returns or serve in other ways, such as organizing client paperwork, managing computer equipment, acting as interpreters, or making sure everything runs smoothly. 

Meet Our State President

AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor takes great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Elizabeth Howlett as State President.



“We are delighted that Elizabeth has stepped into this key volunteer leadership position,” Taylor said. “Her experience, her expertise, her distinguished leadership history, and her passion for our mission make her an outstanding choice. Read more, watch videos.