AARP Utah Recognizes Jose Valladares for his Dedication & Commitment to Community Service with its Most Prestigious Volunteer Award

Jose Valladares has been selected by AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, to receive the 2020 AARP Utah Andrus Award for Community Service -- the Association’s most prestigious and visible state volunteer award for community service.

AARP Utah selected Jose for remarkable service which has greatly benefited his community, supported AARP’s vision and mission, and inspired other volunteers. For the last two years, Jose has organized and managed two bi‐weekly food distributions in West Valley City. This effort includes working closely with Utah Food Bank to schedule food drops, managing a group of 40‐80 volunteers to help distribute the food, and providing distribution reminders and information to 1,000 individuals. The distributions Jose orchestrates serve approximately 700 households per week. This year, he has brought in 4,307,553 lbs. of food to community members in West Valley; in the last two years, his efforts have provided 8,657,196 (equivalent to 7,214,330 meals). Jose has provided approximately 30 volunteer hours per week for the last two years, for a total of an estimated 3,300 volunteer hours.

The award will be formally presented at the 2020 AARP Utah Volunteer Appreciation & Andrus Award Virtual Celebration on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.

“During this historic and unprecedented time, this award acts as a symbol to the public that we can all work together to help one another even in the most difficult of circumstances,” says AARP Utah State Director, Alan K. Ormsby. “AARP has long valued the spirit of volunteerism and the important contributions volunteers make to their communities, neighbors, and the programs they serve. Jose is a remarkable, living
testament to that spirit."

Recipients across the nation were chosen for their ability to enhance the lives of AARP members and prospective members, improve the community in or for which the work was performed, and inspire others to volunteer.

2020 Outstanding Utah Community Volunteers

• Lee Ammons
• Tamara and Art Anderson
• Alicia Bremer-Wharton
• Linda Cohen
• Raymond Freer
• Howard Gray
• Lila Herrera
• Cheryl Heybourne
• David James
• Debbie Morton
• Victoria Nicholson
• Allison Parker
• Cabrini Riddle
• Stjepan Sabaric
• Phyllis Savage
• Mary Schuman
• Jack Strosnider
• Sheri Sturdevant
• Ed Turner
• Sarah Unrien
• Kathy Wheeler
• Stephanie Willis

For more information about the Andrus Award visit here!