North Carolina's 2006 Andrus Award Presented to Thelma Lennon
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-11-17 11:47:11.549593-05:00
The North Carolina winner of the 2006 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service is Thelma Lennon, who was honored at the North Carolina Conference on Aging in late October. Thelma, who served as AARP State President in the late 1990s during a major reorganization of AARP, had a stellar career in the NC Department of Public Instruction in guidance and counseling, and was a key player in the integration of North Carolina schools.
Lennon went to North Carolina Central University and, after teaching business at St. Augustine College, she earned advanced degrees in guidance at Boston College and Harvard University.
She was chairman of the Raleigh Housing Authority from 1984 to 1990, and also served on the NC State University Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs, as well as the board of the NC Center for Public Policy Research.
Currently, Lennon volunteers as a counselor for the Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and as a long term care ombudsman in nursing homes. She chairs their Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence Consumer Advisory Council and is also a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Aging.
Lennon served on the boards of the NC Correctional Institution for Women; Habitat for Humanity; and the Advisory Council for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. In addition, she chaired Wake Health Service, Inc., a community health service assisting the uninsured and underinsured.
She currently is currently active on the Intergenerational Council at First Baptist Church in Raleigh, which is preparing to start an adult day care center and is applying for certification through the NC Division of Aging.
In addition to receiving the AARP Andrus award, she has been recognized by the North Carolina Commission on Women; the Wake County YWCA Academy of Women; the Raleigh Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority; and the NC Central University Hall of Fame.
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