Dunbar Couple Honored With AARP's Most Prestigious Andrus Award For Outstanding Community Service

When Marge and Delmer Young got married, Janet Clarke Dupay was the first to know — after all, the couple met in a volunteer training class Clarke Dupay was teaching.

Source: AARP.org | December 19, 2007

When Marge and Delmer Young got married, Janet Clarke Dupay was the first know — after all, the couple met in a volunteer training class Clarke Dupay was teaching.

The couple on Thursday received the Andrus Award, AARP's highest award for community service. Together, the pair volunteers more than 210 hours a month for eight different organizations, including the AARP Foundation's West Virginia ElderWatch program.

"Marge and Delmer are truly inspiring and their story shows how volunteerism can change your life," said Clarke Dupay, who takes full credit for introducing the pair.

However, it wasn't ElderWatch that brought them together. Both Delmer and Marge signed up as volunteers at Kanawha Hospice Care after losing their first spouses. Delmer's first wife had been a Hospice patient and Marge's first husband passed away suddenly. At the time, Clarke Dupay was a Hospice social worker and volunteer trainer. Volunteering together led to love, and on November 13, 2002, Clarke Dupay received an urgent telephone call from Marge - the pair had married and they wanted her to be the first to know.

"Our volunteers give their time, expertise, and passion so that AARP can make a real difference in the lives of our members and we want to thank them for all of their hard work," said Frank Bellinetti, AARP West Virginia State Director. "The Andrus Award is one way we recognize their contributions."

Delmer, 78, is retired from J.C. Penney with 30 years of service and has two daughters. Marge, who won't reveal her age, is a retired telephone operator and has a son. As ElderWatch volunteers, the pair take calls from consumers age 50+ who are filing complaints with the West Virginia Attorney General's office.

Sylvia Watkins, an active AARP volunteer and the 2006 Andrus Award Winner, nominated the couple for the 2007 award. She volunteers with the couple at ElderWatch.

"Delmer and Marge are very unique volunteers," Watkins said. "Both reflect the core values and beliefs regarding volunteerism and AARP. Both use volunteerism as an opportunity for personal growth."

Since ElderWatch, a joint program with the West Virginia Attorney General's Office began nearly two years ago, the office's response rate from consumers age 50+ has increased from 14 percent to 90 percent. Prior to the program, very few forms were returned to the Attorney General's office from older consumers. ElderWatch volunteers like Marge and Delmer fill the forms out for the consumers. Through the work of AARP Foundation volunteers, West Virginia consumers have had more than $500,000 in cash and products returned to them.

Thirty-six full-time volunteers for West Virginia ElderWatch assisted more than 3,700 consumers age 50 and older first year of operation.

"Our volunteers are the most valuable members of our team," said Scott Adkins, Project Director for the AARP Foundation in West Virginia. "Marge and Delmer are extraordinary examples of the dedication of volunteers."

AARP Foundation President Robin Talbert told the 170 volunteers that their service to the organization is extremely valuable.

"For AARP, you are an immense source of empowerment. Your boundless enthusiasm for and total commitment to the work we are all doing are the gifts that keep on giving. That is a priceless asset for any organization to have," Talbert said.

The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service honors those individuals who are sharing their experience, talent, and skills to enrich the lives of their community members.

"Volunteerism is clearly a new way of looking at retirement for older Americans. Many are finding that they want to remain active and involved. Volunteerism fulfills this need and the desire to help others," said Ruth Wagner, AARP Volunteer State President. "Through this recognition, AARP encourages members and prospective members to use their skills and assistance as a way to remain vital as well as make a difference in their community."

The criteria for the award included: positive impact on the lives of individuals age 50 and over, improvement of the community in or for which the work was performed, and inspiration of others to volunteer. The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service is an annual awards program developed to honor individuals whose service is a unique and valuable contribution to society. Last year, AARP recognized 53 outstanding individuals from around the country.