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June
2006 Welcome to the Latest Edition of CA Focus, AARP California's electronic newsletter for volunteers, members and friends. CA Focus is sent to subscribers automatically every quarter. If a friend has forwarded this newsletter to you, you may sign up to receive it automatically by going to www.cafocus.org/subscribe.htm. If you do not want to receive it, please click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of this email. Otherwise, please feel free to share it with as many friends as you feel might be interested in keeping up with what's happening at AARP California. If your friends do not have email, hand them a printout, or let us know and we can send them one via U.S. Mail. If you have a story idea or wish to provide "your story" related to one of our key issues, please email CAFocus@aarp.org. Thanks. We hope you enjoy learning a little more about all that is going on with our volunteers around the state.  California
Day of Service Keeps Older Homeowners Safe and Independent On Thursday May 11th and Saturday May 13th, AARP California partnered with Rebuilding Together Orange County to host the 2006 Southern California Day of Service at the Tustin Village Mobile Park. AARP staff and volunteers were joined by national staff members Bruce Sanders, Chico Rosemond, and Kevin Bullock, as well as outgoing Board Member Lavada DeSalles. Together they collaborated to re-build 43 mobile homes for residents over 55 and with disabilities. Volunteers and staff helped residents with landscaping, trash removal, painting, carpeting, securing rails, repairing screen doors, cleaning gutters, building new steps, and testing and replacing smoke alarms. A majority of the community’s residents are on fixed incomes, and many have recently experienced sharp increases in their monthly rents. On April 29th, AARP's Northern California office partnered with Rebuilding Together for their Day of Service, to makeover the home of Diane Standley. Diane had recently lost both of her adult daughters and in dealing with those tragedies had been unable to maintain repairs on her home. AARP along with 60 other volunteers from various organizations put in sprinkler systems, built fences, and painted the interior and exterior of the home. The work completed for AARP's 2006 Day of Service has helped these residents save money and made it easier to meet basic living expenses to live safely, independently, and with dignity. Volunteers
Needed for Member Event in October AARP California Promotes Older Workers at Los Angeles Event  AARP
California teamed up with the Los Angeles Business Journal in
February to promote workplace practices and policies that meet
the needs of 50+ workers. AARP was a title sponsor of the publication’s
5th Annual Business Hall of Fame Awards, held at the
Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. More than 500 business
executives from throughout Southern California attended the event.Full Story
Executive
Council Member Paige Appointed to Conservatorship Task Force
Bob
Prath Appointed to Lead Community Presence Teams Glenn
Page Appointed State Recruitment Coordinator
Volunteer
Updates AARP California Encourages Women to be Financially Prepared In May, AARP California spent a day encouraging participants of the American Association of University Women’s (AAUW) annual Economic Summit to take charge of their financial future. As a representative of AARP California, Celia J. Esquivel, Associate State Director for Community Outreach, conducted an interactive one-hour workshop called “Women It’s Time.” During the session, Ms. Esquivel offered simple but effective tools and techniques designed to empower today’s women to take an active part in managing their money and planning for retirement. More than 50 women attended the standing-room-only session. One-third of the participants were retired, while the remaining third, many of them baby boomers, are still in the workforce. Participants applauded the content of the workshop and many expressed interest in bringing the presentation to local chapters of the AAUW. AARP Holds Retreat for Caregivers  AAARP
sponsored a retreat for 25 family caregivers from the San Luis
Obispo County area. The retreat, entitled "A Day to Care
for Me," offered a full day of relaxation, fun, and renewal
for those caring for aging family members. The retreat also provided
a unique opportunity for family caregivers to join each other
in a community of caring, allowing them to enhance their own health
as well as their ability to provide care to a loved one. Some
of the activities the caregivers enjoyed were massage therapy,
yoga, reflexology, small support groups, and garden art activities,
as well as private time to read, relax and walk the grounds of
the beautiful and serene Oak Haven Gardens in the hills of Arroyo
Grande.AARP Seeks Nominations for Community Service Award On May 2, AARP issued a national call for nominations for the 2006 Andrus Award for Community Service, which recognizes outstanding AARP volunteers and members in every state who are making a powerful difference in their communities, in ways that are consistent with AARP's mission, vision, and commitment to community service, and that inspire others to volunteer. Full Story Chapter Members Serve as Ambassadors for Public Transit  Nine
Board Members from AARP Chapter #524 took a bus ride from Concord
Senior Center to AMTRAK, Martinez and back. The Board wanted to
show how easy it is to ride the bus and encourage others to use
the Bus Ambassador Program if they need assistance.The Central Contra Costa Transit Authority (CCCTA) Bus Ambassador Program is a newly formed group of volunteers who know the local transit system, have completed 6 hours of classroom and on-bus training, and are willing to assist other passengers – especially those wishing to use the bus for the first time. Full Story Region 4 Volunteers Take in “Social Security”  A
group of Region 4 volunteers attended a May 7 performance of the
play "Social Security” by Andrew Bergman at the Civic
Theater in Cyprus. The group’s visit to the theater was
an outing organized to show their appreciation for the tireless
efforts of Regional Volunteer Lead Bobbie Day. While it shared
the name with a top AARP priority and alluded to "Modern
Maturity," the play was delightful and a pleasant surprise
for all who attended. |
In April, AARP California Executive Council Member Jacquie Paige
was appointed by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald
M. George to serve on the Judicial Council’s Probate Conservatorship
Task Force. The task force was established in January, 2006
to address growing problems with the administration of California’s
conservatorship laws. Conservatorship refers to situations in
which persons are deemed by the court to be unable to take care
of themselves or their property. In such cases, the court may
appoint a conservator to act on an incapacitated person’s
behalf.
Longtime San Diego volunteer Bob Prath was recently appointed
to serve as State Coordinator for Community Presence Teams (CPTs).
In this capacity, he will manage, in partnership with the regional
Associate State Directors (ASDs), the overall operations of
the CPTs statewide. He will also recruit, manage, and lead Regional
Volunteer Leaders (RVLs) in order to implement the State Plan.
Central
Valley volunteer leader Glenn Page was appointed State Coordinator
of Recruitment in January, moving from his previous position
as Regional Volunteer Leader for the Northern California region.
In this new role, Glenn will provide strategies, tools, and
resources, as well as professional supervision, to Regional
Recruiters.
AARP California • Published quarterly by California State Office
1415 L Street, Suite 960 Sacramento, CA 95814 • Phone (888) OUR-AARP • cafocus@aarp.org