AARP Celebrates 50th Anniversary

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AARP is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year–the organization is finally old enough to join itself! As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, AARP has a variety of events planned across the state to honor the legacy of AARP founder, Ethel Percy Andrus.

Dr. Andrus was born in California but spent much of her childhood in Chicago, graduating from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and going on to teach at Hull House and Chicago Commons, two pioneering settlement houses. Dr. Andrus later became the first female high school principal in California. Her motto was “To serve, not to be served,” and it is in that spirit that AARP created the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards.

In Illinois, the winner of the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award was Theodore Roosevelt High School in Chicago, who won the award for their innovative musical theatre program that brings together individuals from across several cultures and generations to perform theatre productions for the community. The Legacy award is a $100,000 award that will help enhance the musical theatre program at Roosevelt.

Illinois also awarded the Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Award for Innovation to Lewistown Community High School in Lewistown for their innovative Tube Band program. The Tube Band plays an important role in the community, combining music and technology in a creative way with the goal of warning students of the dangers of drug and alcohol use. The Innovation award is a $10,000 award that will help to ensure the continuation of the Tube Band program at Lewistown.

In addition to the Legacy awards, AARP is also engaging in a community rehabilitation project with Rebuilding Together. The Abraham Lincoln Centre in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood was chosen as the site for the rebuilding effort and AARP is donating $100,000 to create a brand new kitchen facility at the Centre. The Abraham Lincoln Centre is a community center that provides everything from culinary classes to job training for people of all generations in the Bronzeville community.

Dr. Andrus was a visionary who believed in community service and enhancing civic engagement and intergenerational understanding across cultures. AARP is honoring that vision through the Legacy Awards and the Rebuilding Together project. Please contact AARP Illinois at 888-448-3613 for more information on the 50th anniversary events planned this year.