AARP Utah Leaders Meet with Lawmakers in D.C.

A Message from Pat Thompson, AARP Utah's volunteer State President:

I recently attended AARP’s CSN Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C., along with Alan Ormsby, AARP Utah State Director. By the way, CSN stands for Communities, States, and Nation, just in case you were wondering; I know I was. While these Summits have been held in the past, because of COVID, it hasn't been held since 2019.

More than 200 AARP employees and volunteers nationwide gather for the CSN Leadership Summit. It was a remarkable week filled with insightful discussions and valuable networking opportunities. The focus of the summit was on navigating the complexities of our rapidly changing world with a vision and purpose to create a positive impact in our communities. It is always profitable to share stories with other AARP State Presidents and see what is working and what is not. I enjoy the camaraderie of the individuals I associate with, both nationally and regionally. In addition, many of them have become friends and we enjoy each other’s company.

In conjunction with the summit, AARP advocates met with members of Congress to discuss the issues that matter to the 50+. This was the highlight for me. Alan and I visited the offices of all of Utah’s Congressional delegation including Blake Moore, Celeste Moore, Burgess Owens, John Curtis, and Senators Mitt Romney and Mike Lee. Since I had never been to those offices before, I really didn’t know what to expect, but I was eagerly looking forward to the meetings. Everyone we met was gracious and very helpful. Representative Blake Moore took the time to listen to us and take his picture with Alan and me. He also agreed to review the materials we left with him.

We also had the opportunity to shake hands with Representative Burgess Owens. And I nearly ran over Representative Celeste Moore as I exited the elevator.

We had a funny experience trying to catch the underground rail system that goes from one building to another. The person who escorted us was new and didn’t know he had to ride the rail system with us from building to building, so he dropped us off. Unfortunately, as we got to the front of the line, we were not allowed to go on as we had no escort. Even so, we managed to find another way to get to where we were going in a timely fashion.

As I wandered the halls of the Russell, Longworth, and Rayburn buildings, I kept wondering about our forefathers and the history that is within those walls. I felt honored to be there as a leading voice for Americans 50+.

The major goal of visiting the Utah delegates was to foster or further encourage good working relationships. During our visit, Alan and I helped advance AARP's federal caregiving agenda and petition for more cosponsors on AARP's caregiving bills. One of our main focuses was on Credit for Caring, an organization AARP collaborates with to help raise awareness of caregiving issues.

If you’ve ever had the desire to visit Washington, D.C., I encourage you to do so. You will not be sorry. I thoroughly enjoyed my day visiting Utah's delegation who work tirelessly to ensure our best interests, not only for those over 50+ but for all. Helping 50+ is the job of AARP.