AARP Texas

By Vanessa Rodriguez

Mother Nature’s soggy wrath, a monumental first-of-its-kind celebration, and an airshow could not keep more than 600 drivers from recycling their private documents and electronics in Corpus Christi. The AARP Shred Day event was held at KIII-TV (an ABC affiliate) Saturday, April 18 and it set a new record.

Just northeast of downtown Fort Worth, in a neighborhood of artists, professionals and working class residents, a cadre of AARP volunteers are collaborating with community leaders and residents to transform Six Points Urban Village in the Riverside District into a vibrant, walkable place.

Having marked only their first 100 days in office, members of Austin’s first City Council under a new “10-1” system of government are in a honeymoon phase of getting to know one another and learning the city’s biggest issues.

We carefully chose the issues we're focusing on during the 2015 Texas Legislative Session. One of the key elements is that all these topics are close to home for countless Texas families. So chances are you have a relative, neighbor or friend with a personal experience highlighting why at least one of these issues are important--and why Texas legislators should take note and work to fix or improve the situation.

Each day in Texas, millions of uncelebrated heroes are giving baths and preparing meals. They’re providing rides to the doctor and grocery store. They’re dispending medicines and handling complex medical tasks, sometimes with little or no training.

Featuring our knowledgeable volunteers is something AARP does well and this month Dr. Ricardo Chapa, a long-time AARP volunteer, represented AARP Texas well on the small screen.

Identity theft is a growing concern. For the 15th consecutive year, it was the top complaint in the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book, accounting for 13 percent of the total 2.5 million filed complaints. Identity theft complaints in Texas totaled 25,843. Nationally, people in their 40s and 50s filed the most complaints – 19 percent – while 18 percent of complaints were made by those in both their 20s and 30s. People age 60 and older filed 13 percent of complaints and people age 70 and older only filed 7 percent of complaints.

By: Charlene Hunter James

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