AARP Seeking Nominees For Community Service Award

HARTFORD — AARP is seeking nominations for its 2007 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, which honors people who are 50 and older who share their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.

“Volunteerism is clearly a new way of looking at retirement for older Americans,” said Lillian H. Brown, president of AARP in Connecticut, which is a volunteer position. “Many are finding that  they want to remain active and involved and that volunteerism fulfills this need and the desire to help others.

The award is named after Ethel Percy Andrus, who founded AARP in 1958. Nominations are due June 1. The award recipient will be announced after September 1.

The screening of nominees will be performed by a volunteer panel appointed by the staff of the AARP office in Connecticut. Criteria include making a positive impact on the lives of people who are 50 and over, improving the community in which the person volunteers, and inspiring others to volunteer.

Nominees must also meet the following eligibility requirements: must be an AARP member or must have been a member in 2006; accomplishments must have occurred in 2006 but are not exclusive to 2006; couples or partners who perform service together also are eligible; accomplishments must have been performed on a volunteer basis, without pay; and accomplishments must reflect AARP’s priority issues of health care, transportation and community issues, or helping people 50 and older maintain economic security.

Contact Patrick Doyle at 866-295-7279 for more information and a nomination form. Application forms also may be downloaded from AARP Connecticut’s website, www.aarp.org/ct.