Honolulu, Hawaii
United States
KONA RESIDENT ROY DAMRON WINS ANDRUS AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
Top Volunteer Committed to Driving Safety and Diving Safety
Eighty-seven-year-old Kona resident Roy Damron has been selected by AARP Hawaii to receive the 2009 Andrus Award for Community Service – the Association’s most prestigious volunteer award. Damron has a long and distinguished record as a champion of public safety – both on land and on sea. As coordinator of AARP’s Driver Safety Program on the island of Hawaii he leads a team of eight driving instructors and has personally taught the popular course to nearly 1,500 members. A former scuba instructor with the state Department of Education, Damron has taught diving safety in his spare time and served as an ambassador of the National Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) since 2001. His volunteer work with NELHA includes conducting tours at the aquaculture and alternative energy facility, sharing the wonders of Hawaii’s natural environment with residents and visitors alike.
"AARP is honored to present Roy with the Andrus Award in recognition of his dedicated service," said AARP Hawaii Associate State Director for Outreach, Jackie Boland. Roy’s tireless work with the Driver Safety Program has made a tremendous difference in ensuring safety for fellow residents in Kona and throughout the island of Hawaii."
The Andrus Award is named after AARP’s founder Ethel Percy Andrus, who advocated for health insurance and pension rights for retired teachers. Until Medicare was created in 1965, there was no national program of health care for people over age 65. Andrus founded the National Retired Teachers Association in 1947 to give teachers a national voice, and went on to establish AARP in 1958.
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
