The Next Chapter - A Monthly Column

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Gunther is a beauty queen, a dancer, a distinguished Toast Master and a dynamic AARP volunteer, so if you know her, wish her a happy birthday and thank her for all her hard work.

“I think AARP has been wonderful to me and given me the ability to work with other people, and allowed me to inspire people and I like that,” Gunther said.

Actually, it is AARP Colorado who has been grateful to have a dynamo like Gunther in its volunteer ranks for so many years. Gunther founded the Castle Rock AARP Chapter, and then she started the Parker Chapter recently. She says she is not founding anymore chapters and that she is going to slow down a little. But anyone who knows Gunther will have a hard time believing that.

In addition to two AARP chapters, Gunther founded the South Ridge Toast Masters, a group of speaking professionals. She founded a dance troupe. In fact, she recently won a talent competition with her dancing talent. She also started a beauty pageant, the U.S. Splendor Pageant after 10 years of competition and 36 crowns, including Mrs. Senior Colorado in 1998.

So how does she do it?

“People in my family live many years and push ourselves,” she said. “I’m always working on something – AARP, Toast Masters. I think you should always be involved. I never look at TV. Use your mind and your physical abilities. Too many people have given up by my age. Keep up contacts. Get involved in AARP. We have a lot of meetings and we establish friendships. As a senior, I think you have to keep going. Live every day to the fullest.”

That is great advice from a wonderful woman. Happy Birthday Gunther.

The AARP Black Forest Chapter does it again

With an AARP Chapter like Black Forest, it’s hard to keep up, but thanks to this active chapter, we always have something to highlight. This month, it’s our pleasure to mention the great success the chapter and the Black Forest community had this summer with their shredding and food collections events.

More than 520 people were able to safely destroy 23,000 pounds of unneeded personal documents during the shredding event, which cuts down on fraud from identity theft. AARP Colorado President David Just also helped out at the Fight Fraud-Shred Instead event.

But that’s not all, the Chapter also helped raise 1,187 pounds of food and nearly $400 for the Black Forest Cares community food bank.

Nice work as always by Black Forest.