Volunteering

This dynamic duo, Janet and Ed O’Connor of Carver, bring the best of their professional backgrounds to their volunteer positions with the AARP Driver Safety Program. Janet coordinates the program statewide, while Ed serves as a course instructor.

Talk to Betty Goldsmith for just a few minutes, and you feel as though you have made a friend for life. The engaging Brockton resident has the knack for connecting with people from all walks of life, and uses that skill to make a difference for seniors and their families in her hometown.

If you’ve attended an AARP Massachusetts event any time during the last few decades, you’ve seen Louise Myers. A tireless and generous community advocate, Myers serves far beyond her hometown of Chelmsford, providing valuable outreach to diverse communities throughout the Bay State. She epitomizes Ethel Percy Andrus’ modus operandi: “ to serve, not to be served”.

For the past five years, Sharon Soong has made a difference in her Hyde Park community as a volunteer with AARP Tax-Aide , the free tax assistance and preparation program offered by the AARP Foundation. Each year, from Feb. 1 though Tax Day, Soong helps local residents with basic federal and state income tax returns .

By Yolanda Brown

Forget six degrees of separation. When it comes to new AARP Texas President Olivia “Ollie” Besteiro, it seems like everyone is connected with her in some fashion.

With hard work and determination. Alexandra Rose, 76, an AARP Texas volunteer residing in Midland who is a regular guest columnist for the Midland Reporter-Telegram, will lace up her shoes and compete in the 13.1 mile 3M Half-Marathon in Austin on January 24. She plans to run-walk the event in just a little over three hours. Although she wakes up at 4:30 a.m. daily to walk four miles, marathons and half-marathons are not only a passion for Alex but actually fun. She’s competed in the past in the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon, the White Rock Marathon (Dallas), the Cowtown Martahon (Fort Worth) and the Duke City Marathon (Albuquerque). She’s done her share of half-marathons and 10 Ks. Her brother, who lives in Boston and has been a Boston Marathon qualifier in the past, will be joining her in Austin for the Jan. 24 event. "You’ve got to keep fit and do whatever it takes to stay healthy," says Alex.

Mary Scott has been selected by AARP, the nonprofit membership organization for people 50 and over, to receive Texas’s 2009 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, the Association’s most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service. This award symbolizes that individuals have the power and ability to make a difference in the lives of others.

AARP Texas is pleased to announce that Executive Council Member Dr. Beng T. Ho is the recipient of the Selenia E. & Joseph C. Valley Community Advocate of the Year Award from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

AUSTIN, TX --- The AARP Foundation reminds the public that it is still providing free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers, both individuals and families, with low to moderate income through the AARP Tax-Aide program. AARP Tax-Aide, in its 41st year, is the nation’s largest free tax assistance and preparation service,giving special attention to people over age 60. The program provides assistance from February 1 through April 15. You do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use this service.