by Deborah Moore
AARP Nevada Director of Communications
At AARP, we like to say that we're an organization for people with birthdays. Nearly everyone who's turned 50 in this country knows we take birthdays seriously, as they have likely received a birthday greeting from us. This year we're celebrating a big one of our own - 50 years of service to America.
As many turning 50 do, we're taking stock of ourselves, reflecting on our past and planning for our future. We're changing and growing in ways that were unimaginable 50 years ago, from our re-launched webpage and online community to our movies for grown ups, we continue to redefine aging.
Since AARP was founded in 1958, we have been the nation's leading nonprofit membership organization for people aged 50+. We have used our members' collective voices, collective action and collective purchasing power to enhance the quality of life for all generations.
Today we are building on these past successes and creating new legacies for the future. We are more committed than ever to AARP's vision of a society where everyone ages with dignity and purpose, reaching to fulfill their goals and dreams.
It all began with AARP's visionary founder, Ethel Percy Andrus, a noted educator who was California's first female high school principal. She understood that to secure a better life for all Americans, you need to foster change across all generations.
Today, AARP has more than 39 million members with nearly 330,000 here in Nevada. We are working across all generations to be an even stronger advocate for the peace of mind that comes from having affordable health care and long-term financial security, and from designing communities to meet the needs of all generations. In Nevada we've also worked to create better access to affordable prescription drugs, improved job opportunities for a 50+ workforce and engaged our members through volunteer opportunities. We also use the collective power of our members to reshape the marketplace with innovative programs, products and services.
Whether through discounts on travel, entertainment, technology or insurance services, there are a range of benefits available to AARP members. Recently, in Reno and 18 other cities across the country, we introduced a new AARP card with a magnetic strip. With that card members can save five percent on purchases (5%) Walgreen's (excluding Rx drugs), and 10 percent off list price paperback books at Borders. And the benefits are so much more than just discounts.
The relaunch of AARP's Web site, www.aarp.org, in April 2008 provides social networking opportunities, expert content from leading experts on health (Martina Navratilova), travel (Peter Greenberg), entertainment and other topics of interest. One of the key components of the newly revamped site is the daily news site, AARP Bulletin Today, the only online news source catering specifically to the 50+ demographic.
And the online community is geared specifically for users who may feel out of place on networking sites aimed at their children and grandchildren, making it unique among the offerings currently available.
During the year, AARP is celebrating our 50th anniversary by focusing on “Generations Connecting to Change.” This coast-to-coast celebration builds on our strong foundation of leadership and service to others, and creates new legacies for the future. Special events are being held in seven major cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C.
Expanding its dedication to lifelong learning, AARP is providing grants to select high schools across America through its Connecting to Learn initiative. More than $1.5 million in Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards are being given to innovative high schools that demonstrate a commitment to linking the generations and foster greater civic engagement among students and communities.
In Nevada, the Challenge Program, developed Ed. W Clark High School, a public school in the Clark County School District, won the Legacy Award, accepting a $10,000 oversized check for innovation in April 2008.
Through Connecting to Change, we will promote communities that meet the needs of all generations---for today and for the future. This echoes AARP's pioneering leadership in developing one of the nation's first “universal design” homes in 1961. This year, we will adapt homes to make them safer and more comfortable for residents, or give community residents a welcoming place to gather. AARP staff and volunteers are undertaking these Connecting to Change projects in Miami, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C., often teaming with nonprofits such as Rebuilding Together.
Through Connecting to Celebrate, music will unite the generations. In April, AARP presented the 15-city “Legends of Jazz” tour featuring master jazz pianist and three-time Grammy winner Ramsey Lewis. If you want to “know what love is” or if you have “Double Vision,” you'll be pleased to learn that AARP will also present Foreigner's “Feels Like the First Time” tour. Locally theconcert will be held at Lake Tahoe, May 24th and 25th at Harrah’s. On June 21, our 50th anniversary celebration involves a unique “Songs of Soul and Inspiration” event in Atlanta at the Phillips Arena. Performers will include Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Yolanda Adams, CeCe Winans, and the legendary Shirley Caesar. The show will be produced by another impressive name in show business: Debbie Allen.
The culmination of our 50th birthday celebration will take place in Washington, D.C., from September 4 - 6, 2008 at a bigger and better than ever Life@50+ National Event & Expo. There will be fun, food, entertainment by the legendary band, Chicago, and learning opportunities for all. We hope you will plan to join us there.