About_the_50th_Anniversary

AARP is an organization for people with birthdays. This year we’re celebrating a big one of our own – 50 years of service to America.

 

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. 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. We also use the collective power of our members to reshape the marketplace with innovative programs, products and services while meeting the divers needs of all people as they age.

 

During 2008, AARP will celebrate our 50^th 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.

 

 

AARP will also host two special two-hour issues forums tofoster constructive discussion about what individuals, employers and government can do together to resolve the urgent domestic issues of affordable, quality health care and lifetime financial security. The first, focused on women’s views of issues in the 2008 elections, was held in Los Angeles on February 1. The second will be held in Washington, D.C., on September 5, prior to the taping of “Washington Week with Gwen Ifill.” 

 

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. Starting in April, AARP will present the 15-city “Legends of Jazz” tour featuring master jazz pianist and three-time Grammy winner Ramsey Lewis. He will be joined by Grammy-winning saxophonist and clarinet player Paquito D’Rivera, as well as singer Kurt Elling and the smooth-jazz quarter Fourplay.

 

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.

 

On June 21, our 50^th 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 “Generations Connecting to Change” 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.

 

AARP began with a dedication to making life better for people as they age.

 

As the world redefines what it means to be 50, so does AARP.