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Local Updates

AARP

Published April 30, 2026

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Evansville

AARP Indiana Evansville Team Participates in Neighbors Helping Neighbors Day

Twice a year, the Evansville AARP Volunteers participate in Community One's Neighbors Helping Neighbors Day. Community One is an Evansville-based organization dedicated to transforming the city by connecting neighbors, with a primary focus on housing and neighborhood restoration in the Tepe Park Neighborhood.

This spring, the AARP Team’s project was to design a farm stand for the community garden. In this garden, neighbors work together to plant vegetables and flowers for everyone to use. We believe that by providing a farm stand stocked with the food and plants grown in the garden, neighbors will be more likely to take advantage of the garden's offerings.

Our task was to take an old bench and repurpose it into the Farm Stand. Volunteer, Fred Weaver, was the visionary who figured out the best design, with input from the team, of course! It was an all-hands-on-deck project. We had less than three hours to go from concept to finished product.

AARP Indiana Volunteers Joanne Artz, Bonnie Reeves, Vicki Small, Linda Addleman, Fred Weaver (the boss and chief designer), Donna Weaver, and Pam Kimsey show off their hard work!

At the end of the three hours, the team had taken an old bench and upcycled it into a sturdy, reliable, and functional new Farm Stand for the Tepe Park Neighborhood!

We can’t wait to see what the Evansville crew builds next time!

Fort Wayne

AARP Indiana Fort Wayne Team Attends Greater Fort Wayne Inc. 2026 Legislative Luncheon

Eight AARP volunteers and staff attended the Greater Fort Wayne (GFW) 2026 Legislative Wrap-Up Luncheon. GFW serves as the regional Chamber for Northeast Indiana, giving the Northeast Indiana legislative delegation an opportunity to review their work during the 2026 General Assembly session and share how new laws will affect local communities and the region's economy.

AARP Indiana was there to hear directly from legislators and strengthen relationships with them and local leaders as we advocate for older Hoosiers. The specific policy topics discussed, such as taxes, workforce and economic development, directly affect older residents’ financial security and quality of life.

AARP Indiana's Fort Wayne Team looks forward to on-going engagement with local and state leaders throughout the year as we work to improve the community.

Gary

AARP Indiana Invited to State of the City Address

AARP Indiana Gary volunteers and staff lead, Emily Gorman, were invited by Mayor Eddie Melton and his Age Friendly Council to assist with the 2026 State of the City Address. The volunteers welcomed attendees, manned an information table, assisted people to their seats, and greeted the local bus riders.

Mayor Melton gave an update on the state of city including the growing population and the real progress and investments that are being made. Gary has secured funding and is actively working with local partners to invest in the city’s future.

During his address, Mayor Melton gave a shout to former Gary Volunteer Team Leader, Mattie Perry-Lightfoot, and AARP Indiana. He mentioned the work that the Age-Friendly Council is doing to suggest policy that would improve the lives of older residents in Gary. He also thanked Mattie for her advocacy work on the behalf of older adults.

Thank you Mayor Melton for your continued support of the Gary community and AARP Indiana!

Indianapolis

Volunteers Hold Successful Community Shred Day

On April 11^th, the Indianapolis Volunteer Team held a community shred day that provided on-site, sensitive document shredding to hundreds of residents. This was an unprecedented turnout and the largest in-person event the team has ever held!

There were so many attendees that Addison had to turn cars away near the end of the event! The great community turnout indicated a clear need for free, safe, and secure document shredding in the Indianapolis area. Overall, the event was a success, but there were also lessons learned that the team will implement at their next shred event in September.

Extra! Extra!

AARP Indiana Volunteers Attend South Bend Regional Action Plan Launch

Volunteers Hosea Drake and Bev Hmurovic attended the South Bend Regional Action Plan Launch on March 27th. Mayor James Mueller spoke briefly about the importance of the program to South Bend and recognized several City Council Members and other elected officials. Deputy Chief of Staff Allie Dolz-Lane presented an overview of the Action Plan. April Canahuati, Senior Policy Advisor, distributed the Action Plan and comment cards. The purpose of the launch was to share the final draft and allow participants to provide feedback and suggestions.