President’s Perspective
Message from volunteer state president, Pat Gross
By: States South Dakota | Source: AARP.org
Upon the 50th Anniversary of our founding, National Board member Dick Johnson and his wife Norma, from Wilmington, DE, joined South Dakota AARP members, volunteers and staff in the Black Hills for a celebration earlier this month. The events, including a day of Financial Management Seminars for the public, marked our founding and paid tribute to Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, founder of AARP. Our July 1 gathering was held at the world renowned Crazy Horse Memorial site where we served over 600 pieces of anniversary cake. It was a time of great joy, reflection on the incredible journey AARP has taken to date, and a time when we paused to recognize, celebrate and honor our volunteers.
Without our national and statewide volunteers we could not have accomplished all the many milestones that our organization has over the last 50 years. Dr. Andrus would be greatly satisfied to know that her vision of financial security for retired teachers has grown into one of the most successful social experiments in modern history. Nearly 40 million members now reap the benefits of an organization that has, among many accomplishments, developed a collective voice and a collective power. Her spirit lives on in both our successes and our volunteers. Celebrating with Board Member Dick and Norma Johnson, and an ever growing cadre of caring volunteers in South Dakota this past week, was indeed a rewarding experience. The stage is now set for another 50 years of service, advocacy and accomplishment.
Happy Birthday, AARP.
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