As the AARP DC Volunteer State President, I am proud to represent 68,000 AARP members in the District, and on behalf of them and all older District residents, we are advocating for a budget that honors their dignity and needs. For the District’s FY2026 budget, our message is clear: District seniors deserve their fair share of the pie.
The vital lifeline for tens of millions of Americans everywhere, including 84,150 here in the District, used for housing, groceries, gas, and the other everyday necessities will mark its 90th birthday this summer. And with that anniversary comes a responsibility to strengthen the program – and determine how we can help it age in the healthiest way. As the bedrock of retirement in America, our financial future depends on protecting Social Security for decades to come.
Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable (CARE) Act of 2015 into law. The CARE Act requires that hospitals provide patients with an opportunity to select a caregiver after hospital admission, and it requires that hospitals record contact information for the caregivers and consult with them about the patient’s care plan after discharge.
AARP DC is now accepting nominations for its 2016 District of Columbia Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors 50+ Washingtonians who are sharing their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.
Students who don’t learn to read by fourth grade are far less likely to graduate from high school, and in D.C. public schools, only two-thirds of students are graduating.
Angel Luis Irene, a member of the AARP DC Executive Council, succumbed to kidney cancer on June 10, 2013. From this day forward, loving memories of our dear departed volunteer leader and friend will console us.
Onlookers danced and swayed with the beat of the drum band on the AARP float in the D.C. Capital Pride parade on Saturday, June 8 th. The parade was one of the highlights for AARP participants in DC Pride weekend. Cheering, onlookers stood four-deep along the sidewalks, in the heat, along the 19-block parade route around DuPont Circle, New Hampshire Avenue, and 17th and P streets.
AARP Foundation has established the AARP Foundation Oklahoma Tornado Relief Fund [ www.aarp.org/disasterrelief] to support victims affected by the recent “monster” tornadoes in Oklahoma.
On Wednesday, May 22, the DC Council took its first and only vote on the FY 2014 Budget. For weeks prior, Councilmembers had been determining priorities, holding hearings to examine individual Agency budgets, and talking with constituents about the programs that matter most to them. During this process, AARP DC reiterated the need for an Age-Friendly budget, shared its legislative priorities for the year (built on the needs shared with us by members), and worked with members to make sure older adults benefitted from the budget.