Legacy of Service
AARP's commitment to volunteer service can be traced back to the life and vision of our founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. Each year, AARP honors the legacy of Dr. Andrus with the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, our most prestigious and visible volunteer award.
ALASKA – Jan Watson
Anchorage resident Jan Watson was selected for her remarkable service and for the impact she’s had on the lives of others and on her community. Jan is a volunteer state coordinator for the AARP Tax-Aide Program, administered through the AARP Foundation, which advanced Alaska's economic security by putting money in the pocket of elderly and low-income residents through tax refunds and savings on tax-preparation fees. She brought free tax preparation to the disadvantaged by leading “field trips” to local homeless shelters, food kitchens, and even to a prison. Her work with Tax & Benefits Day, an annual event administered by local nonprofits to kick off the tax season, connected Tax-Aide clients to vital services, such as food stamps and Alaska’s Senior Benefits Program for older residents who live on limited incomes.
ALABAMA – Curtis Jackson In 1987, retired Air Traffic Control Specialist Curtis Jackson began volunteering with the AARP Driver Safety Program. He continues as an instructor today, teaching classes and training other instructors. He doesn’t, however, limit his AARP volunteer hours to the Driver Safety Program. When AARP needs representation at the statehouse, Curtis is called. He has also served in numerous leadership positions with the Montgomery Chapter and currently is its vice president and program chairman. Curtis is always on hand for special activities, including phone banks and Divided We Fail events. He is involved in a number of organizations, including the Fleet Reserve Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the National Association of Active & Retired Federal Employees, the Alabama Silver-Haired Legislature, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and the Alabama Peace Officer’s Association.
ARIZONA – Millicent Kasun
During her 38 years of teaching and since her retirement, Millicent Kasun has been a devoted volunteer. She has served in more than 10 voluntary positions, including as state president of the All-Arizona School Retirees Association (AASRA), Rotary president and secretary, State Chair of the Lois Snyder Fund, Chair of the Bisbee-area American Red Cross, charter member of the Bisbee Council on the Arts, and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 16. She has raised scholarship funds for numerous groups and received the Rotary Achievement Award and the Red Rose Citation. In 2002, the governor presented her the Arizona Education Award, and AASRA honored her with the president’s award. On her local radio show, Ms. Kasun highlights the importance of volunteering and uses the slogan “If you have talents, use them!”
ARKANSAS – Billie Ann Myers
Billie Ann Myers has been volunteering most of her life. From 1981 to 1994, she served as Director of the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism (ADV), which is just one of the numerous volunteer-related positions, advisory committees, task forces, and boards on which she has served. Others include the National Governor’s Association Study Group on Youth and Community Service, the International Board of the Association for Volunteer Administration, and the State Advisory Committee for Arkansas’ Certified Volunteer Managers Program. In addition, she has been AARP Arkansas State President, AARP Southwest Regional Interim Volunteer Director, and served on many National AARP work groups including the Volunteer Engagement Project, and Board Nomination Selection Committee. Recently, Ms. Myers chaired the Pulaski County Bridges Facility Board, which was charged with converting a bridge for cars into a pedestrian and bicyclists’ bridge. She has received many honors for her contributions, including the Association for Volunteer Administration’s Harriet Naylor Award for Outstanding Service to the field of volunteerism, in 1994, and the 2002 Arkansas Distinguished Citizen Award.
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