Life lessons lead to volunteering

Katherine Jackson-Bickford has learned some things about life the hard way, experiences that led her to volunteer with AARP — helping others for 16 years now and counting.

Jackson-Bickford worked in Circuit City’s Richmond corporate office when the company suddenly announced it was ceasing operations in late 2008. For employees like her, the loss of a job was bad enough by itself, but this was much more.

“When a company goes bankrupt, you have no insurance, you don’t have anything,” she said. “And people say ‘Can’t you get COBRA?’ but when a company bankrupts, there is no COBRA. I was in my 50’s with no insurance, no husband, no nothing, just myself.”

The Great Recession became a frightening time for many people like Jackson-Bickford. She responded by working alone and with others in similar situations to learn how to best manage her health care circumstances.

“A lot of companies closed, so a lot of people like me who need medical help, or prescriptions, or doctors, we’re out there with nothing. So I could help people my age and others,” she said.

That is where AARP comes in. Once the two made connections, Jackson-Bickford quickly became a volunteer and started making a difference for even more people.

“By volunteering with AARP, I met a lot of people. One particular lady, I realized, had free clinics in the Richmond area that people can go to. My doctor’s office was instrumental in assisting me with getting in touch with manufacturers who actually send me medicines or prescriptions at no cost. So I have met lots of people who helped me, and shared that information with others that I knew,” she said.

Jackson-Bickford’s AARP activities quickly took on additional directions, first as a district volunteer, lobbying her Richmond-area congressional representative in Washington.

“We talked about AARP’s priorities, which were actually my priorities as well. While I am not naturally outgoing, when I am passionate about something, I can share that with them,” she said.

Three years after Circuit City declared bankruptcy, Jackson-Bickford began a new job, this time with the Internal Revenue Service, and that led to another direction as an AARP volunteer — delivering fraud presentations in the Richmond area.

“I worked a lot [at the IRS] with identity theft, seeing a lot of people, young and older, being scammed or defrauded, so I do a lot of presentations now.” Jackson-Bickford said helping others has been her greatest AARP reward. “I’m helping people. A lot of people are ashamed of what happens to them as far as scams, but the information that I get from AARP, and the training I get, helps me to help others.”

Her contributions also include making presentations on HomeFit — making a home safe and comfortable for older adults — and Social Security. Add it up, and AARP Virginia Associate State Director Carl Hamiel says her volunteering efforts have been invaluable.

“Katherine Jackson-Bickford has been a wonderful asset to our volunteer team in Central Virginia. Katherine’s wealth of knowledge from her previous career makes her one of the most knowledgeable fraud speakers we have on our team. She has collaborated with Congressman Wittman's office to deliver fraud presentations across RVA. She has also represented AARP Virginia on various panels and television interviews.”

Jackson-Bickford has been retired now for three years — but when it comes to volunteering with AARP, she’s hardly the retiring type. She urges anyone considering making their own volunteer contributions not to worry about whether their time doing so must match hers.

“I share with them that you can devote as much or as little time volunteering as you wish,” she said.

See how far your volunteering can take you. Apply today at www.aarp.org/volunteer.