Staying Fit
AARP sprang into action when COVID-19 ravaged people from every walk of life and across the age spectrum, none collectively harder hit than folks older than 50. They were among the many stuck at home during the monthslong lockdown, and many were ill equipped to pick up prescriptions, groceries and other household necessities.
Just 10 days into the pandemic, AARP Innovation Labs, the nonprofit’s innovation arm, launched its Community Connections website to help connect AARP members in need with the volunteers and mutual-aid groups that could best assist them. And it is a key reason why AARP was a finalist for Fast Company’s third annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list, which recognizes the role that innovation plays as part of an organization’s operations.
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Last year, AARP was No. 14 on the list. This year, Fast Company created a separate category for nonprofits and noted that innovation has been part of AARP’s DNA since its founding more than six decades ago.
“To be able to move at such a quick pace and to be helping millions of people across the country in a short period of time was amazing,” AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins told Fast Company. “We do everything we can to make sure people over 50 have what they need to live a long, fulfilling life.”
Pitches inside, outside AARP
As part of that mission, each year AARP Innovation Labs invites start-ups to Shark Tank–like pitch competitions to help find tech solutions to medication management, menopause, brain health and other issues that affect aging Americans.
A winner earlier this year, Richmond, Virginia, start-up Naborforce, connects older people to a network of “Nabors,” composed mostly of vetted and insured empty nesters, schoolteachers and retirees who are eager to help on demand.
