AARP Texas Volunteers Drive Change

Annette Fuller was newly retired, looking for something to keep her busy and give her purpose, when she received an unexpected email from AARP Texas seeking advocacy volunteers.

Saying yes didn’t just fill Fuller’s calendar — it offered her a new way to make a difference and stay sharp after decades in print journalism. She started out meeting with her congressman’s staff to advocate for Social Security and tax credits for caregivers.

“It was win, win,” says Fuller, 67, of Lake Dallas. “I felt personally fulfilled. I felt smarter. I felt like I was doing some good.”

Fuller is one of around 60 AARP Texas volunteers who use their voices and lived experiences to drive change at the local, state and federal levels. And AARP is looking for more Texans to join them.

Everyday citizens carry great sway with lawmakers, says Kathy Green, AARP Texas director of state and federal strategy.

“I can give [officials] all kinds of data,” Green says. “But it’s not the same as somebody coming in and saying, ‘Hey, I take care of my aunt.... I’m spending 30 hours a week on caregiving duties for her. These are the things we face. These are the challenges we have.’ ”

At the state level, AARP advocates meet with lawmakers, testify before legislative committees, give media interviews and write blogs to raise awareness about issues that affect older adults. Locally, they attend and speak at city council meetings and educate their neighbors at community events. The commitment is flexible, and AARP provides training.

The organization would especially like to recruit more volunteers from rural parts of East and West Texas, Green notes. Diversity is another priority, including attracting millennials preparing for the next chapters of their lives.

“Texas is a diverse state, and we want to reflect the population that we serve,” Green says.

Current and future legislative priorities include access to affordable health care, fraud prevention, long-term care, disaster relief and preparedness, and walkable communities.

‘YOU NEVER GIVE UP’

After witnessing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dexter Handy, 67, of Houston, decided he needed to get active and start volunteering.

Handy joined a community emergency response team, which provides assistance in the aftermath of disasters. But he also got involved in other issues — including teaming up with AARP to improve pedestrian safety and transportation infrastructure.

Handy helped modernize the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit by creating a smartphone-friendly version that allowed volunteers to efficiently assess sidewalks, crosswalks and transit access.

One audit along a 4.5-mile stretch of a major Houston boulevard drew 300 volunteers, generated 1,000 photos and led local officials to commission a mobility study and infrastructure enhancements.

“You just don’t think that any of this will gain traction, but it did,” Handy says. “So I was amazed and pleased and excited.”

Not every advocacy effort succeeds, but the process is still rewarding and energizing, notes David Garza, 73, of San Antonio.

Garza brought a lifetime of public service experience — running housing programs and serving on his local school board — to his work with AARP. Even so, legislation he lobbied for to require nursing homes to have backup generators failed to pass.

“You never give up,” Garza says. “The fight for fairness and equity and peace and civility is always, always on.”

His pitch to potential volunteers? “I ask them, ‘Are you receiving Social Security? Are you concerned you may lose it?’ ” Garza explains. “I say, ‘Well, you know, you can do something about it.’ ”

For information on how to become an AARP Texas volunteer, call 866-227-7443 or email aarptx@aarp.org. Also, go to aarp.org/txadvocacy to learn more about AARP’s ongoing advocacy efforts.

Christine Bedell is a freelance writer who covered government and politics at newspapers for nearly 25 years.

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