Deborah Johnson of Hartford Named AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Winner

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On May 20, AARP Foundation announced Deborah Johnson of Hartford, CT, as one of the winners of the first annual Women’s Scholarship Program. The scholarship provides funds to women 40+ who are seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families.

Deborah Johnson’s scholarship caps an inspiring story of personal triumph over adversity. Johnson is a 47-year old recovering drug addict. The death of her mother, when Johnson was 11 years old, was the event that shaped her early life. She describes herself as “angry and defiant” and a “functioning drug abuser” who made numerous bad choices.

Johnson quit drugs in 1991. But, when she decided to leave the world of drugs at age 30 she medicated with food and gained weight to the point of immobility. She reached almost 600 pounds and was virtually immobile. As a result, she lost her job and was out of work for over a year.

Things changed for Johnson when she heard about the AARP Foundation scholarship through STRIVE, a program that helps people get and keep jobs. Johnson said, “This is my opportunity.” She dieted and lost more than 200 pounds, which meant she was able to work, go to school, and get her life on track.

Earlier this month, Johnson received an envelope with the AARP Foundation address, but she didn’t open it right away.

When she finally got the courage to open it and found that she was a winner, Johnson said, “I lost my mind.  [I was] screaming and yelling.”

She plans to use the scholarship money to complete her associate’s degree.

“AARP Foundation is delighted to offer Deborah and other hard-working women across the United States funds to help them access the educational resources that will enable them to be competitive in the workplace,” said AARP Connecticut State Director Brenda Kelley. “AARP’s founder, educator Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, would be pleased that 50 years after she started this organization, we are still dedicated to carrying out her lifelong-mission of creating new opportunities for individuals like Deborah Johnson so that they will be more financially secure in the second half of life.”

While many individuals benefit from the work of the AARP Foundation, research shows that women are disproportionately at risk of having insufficient resources in the second half of their lives due to lower earning and different work patterns. The AARP Foundation announced the Women’s Scholarship Program in August of 2007 to help women 40+ overcome financial and employment barriers by allowing them to participate in education and training opportunities they could otherwise not afford.

This year’s recipients also include grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, Katrina survivors, military veterans and women from other inspirational backgrounds.

AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program
http://www.aarpfoundationwlc.org/