AARP Hearing Center
Volunteer Both Gives and Gets
For AARP, Sandy Grzeskowiak has done ‘A to Z’
At an AARP Oregon Movies for Grownups event in Clackamas in May 2026, AARP Oregon volunteer Sandy Grzeskowiak checks people in.
Sol Neelman
Sandy Grzeskowiak’s long history as an AARP volunteer began with an effort to save some money on her car insurance.
It was 2005, and Grzeskowiak had signed up for an AARP Driver Safety course. And while money was her initial motivation, some of the lessons stuck with her — like one on the signs that someone shouldn’t drive anymore.
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Four years later — remembering the impact the organization’s work had on older adults — she became a volunteer. And today, the Beavercreek resident is one of the most consistent volunteers in the state, dipping her toes in everything from walkable cities to caregiving to activities tailored to older adults. And she has come to see that what she does helps herself as well as others.
“I get out of it more than I give,” she says. Whatever the topic, people are grateful to find out they’re not alone — and they convey that to her.
“It’s just totally a rewarding thing, and I definitely feel appreciated,” she adds.
CAREGIVING SHAPES MESSAGE
Grzeskowiak, now 79, is a retired middle school math teacher. When her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she arranged to move her into a care facility while she cared for her father in her own home. Her husband was also diagnosed with dementia, and she handled his caregiving and end-of-life care until he died in 2022.
In 2009, at a conference put on by Oregon State University and AARP, she met AARP Oregon State Director Bandana Shrestha. The two connected instantly.
“She felt that I’m a retired teacher and that I knew how to speak to people and that my story was interesting,” Grzeskowiak says.
Shrestha agrees. “She just came across to me as a very thoughtful person,” she says. “She wanted to be engaged and seemed like a committed, interested person who has lived through a lot.”
As a volunteer, Grzeskowiak has done just about everything for AARP Oregon, with a special focus on livable communities and caregiving. In 2015, she was on a committee that helped launch NeighborWalks, a collaboration between AARP Oregon and local groups that creates two-hour walking tours in local neighborhoods. Outside of AARP, she has served on the Clackamas County housing advisory board and was a member of a monthly county community meeting; she did both until she reached her term limits.
Since 2010, Grzeskowiak has also been speaking to community groups on behalf of AARP about caregiving—talks that are largely based on her own experiences caring for her parents and her husband.
“I learned way back from my parents that nobody is going to come forward and pay for services if you cannot do it yourself,” she says.
FROM MOVIES TO POLITICS
Caregiving is something so important to her that she advocates for it outside of AARP activities, says Shrestha — going so far as to take AARP caregiving materials with her to a family reunion. “Sandy has done the A to Z of what you could ask for a volunteer,” she says.
These days, a typical month for Grzeskowiak might involve working in the AARP state office on presentation materials and inventory; organizing and hosting AARP Movies for Grownups outings at a local theater; screening calls for a telephone town hall; or simply staffing an AARP table at a community event.
She might also be part of an AARP community service event at a food bank or meet with legislators in the Oregon State Capitol to support topics important to AARP members, such as caregiving, prescription drug prices or housing affordability.
All of this is on top of working part time as a substitute instructional assistant helping students at Oregon City High School. “I love every aspect,” she says.
Life experiences have made her an ideal person to do this kind of volunteer work, Shrestha says.
“She’s like a little snapshot of the experience of aging and aging well,” she adds. “I hope I’ll be Sandy one day.”
More on Volunteering
- Explore AARP Volunteer Opportunities
- Read Stories of AARP Volunteers Making an Impact
- ·Learn How to Nominate Someone for AARP's Top Volunteer Award
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