Staying Informed!

By Phil Zarlengo, AARP Volunteer Transitions alumni coordinator and former AARP Board chair

As people who care about our country and the well-being of older adults, I believe we need to take up the challenge to stay informed about efforts being made in Congress and the Administration that impact lives of those over 50.  Specifically, promises made to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid need to be honored.  If you are like me, it can be hard to stay on top of fast-moving efforts taking place in DC and around the country.  But now more than ever I am relying on AARP to offer timely and trustworthy information that I can use for my personal edification and to share with others.  As AARP alumni, we have invested too much energy over the years to help advance AARP’s social mission only to now stay on the sidelines.

Please join me on Wednesday, March 1 from 3-4pm ET for an important Volunteer Leader Alumni conference call with AARP’s Executive VP of the Community, State and National Affairs (CSN) team, Nancy LeaMond.  Nancy will share the AARP’s top priorities and offer an update on the strategy for protecting Medicare and other programs under the new Administration and Congress.  There will, as always, be time for your questions and comments.  Please take a moment to RSVP here.  To join this special conversation on March 1, please call 1-866-215-3402 and when prompted, enter the code: 4342385#

I also encourage you to visit action.aarp.org.  You will see the latest on AARP’s advocacy efforts and register to receive “Action Alerts” and the AARP Advocate, a monthly e-newsletter. There are many other resources available through the AARP’s Office of Volunteer Engagement as well.

I am proud of my link to AARP and the work that I’ve done for nearly 20 years to help improve the lives of millions of Americans.  I am proud that we have worked together to ensure that our elected officials honor promises made to provide the benefits that we Americans have earned over our working career.  Medicare and Social Security are not hand-outs! And I am proud that I have raised my voice to speak out on these issues to elected officials, professional colleagues, friends and family. Let’s stay connected and see this through!