Each year, AARP State Offices honor outstanding volunteers with the Andrus Award for Community Service. Named after AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus, this prestigious award is the organization’s highest recognition, celebrating individuals 50-plus who have dedicated their lives to serving others. As part of the award, each AARP State Office donates to a nonprofit chosen by the honoree.
Nominations may be made by AARP members, volunteers, Chapter or unit members, and the general public, including external organizations. To qualify for the award, volunteers must meet the following criteria:
- Be at least 50 years old.
- Have made significant contributions through unpaid volunteer work (small stipends to cover expenses are acceptable) that align with AARP’s vision and purpose.
- Reside in the state where the award is being granted.
Each AARP State Office assembles a selection committee to choose an Andrus Award winner. The honorees come from diverse backgrounds and communities, each making a unique impact. Here are just a few of the 2024 Andrus Award winners:
Loneliness and isolation are serious challenges for many older adults, but Sandra Harris is dedicated to fostering connection. Since 2019, she has served as the volunteer State President of AARP Massachusetts and has been a co-lead for the Massachusetts Coalition to Build Community & End Loneliness, a coalition of more than 230 members working to help older adults feel valued, secure, and connected.
In her role as State President, Harris has also been a strong advocate for retirement benefits protection and has supported programs that promote affordable and accessible healthcare.
During her acceptance speech, Harris emphasized the collective effort behind her achievements: “Together, we’ve proven that it takes a village and that when determination, hearts, and communities unite, the village works!”
Nancy Alvarado helps women thousands of miles away gain a sustainable source of income. Her nonprofit, Bricks to Bread International, builds brick ovens for women entrepreneurs in Costa Rica and Honduras, helping them establish bakery businesses.
Alvarado was a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 1990s, serving in the rural village of San Marcos de Cutris, Costa Rica. In 2012, she returned to visit the families she had served and learned that one family was still struggling with poverty. Using her background in business and finance, she raised funds to build a brick bread oven, kitchen, and shelter for them. Soon, they were selling hundreds of baked goods, earning an income that provided financial independence.
Four years later, Alvarado founded Bricks to Bread to help more families achieve the same success. Today, the nonprofit has supported 20 bakery oven projects, benefiting 265 women and their families, and continues to build five to six new oven projects each year.
Marlene Batterberry is a dedicated advocate for older adults in her West Fargo community, particularly when it comes to protecting them from fraud. She actively leads and participates in fraud prevention workshops, helping to educate and safeguard seniors.
As vice president of West Fargo Seniors, a community organization for older adults, Batterberry raises awareness about various types of fraud. She is also a member of AARP North Dakota’s Speakers Bureau, where she regularly gives presentations on fraud prevention and brain health to local organizations.
A retired nurse, Batterberry has also served as a parish nurse, visiting patients in hospitals and nursing homes. In addition, she volunteers with Meals on Wheels and her church. For her, volunteering is not just about helping others—it enriches her own life as well. “I think everyone, when they’ve reached my age of 86, needs to be social in some way, and this is my way of doing that,” she says.
Reverend Dr. James "Jim" Thurman is a dedicated advocate for veterans—and an Army veteran himself. His commitment to service has earned him numerous honors, including induction into the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame, recognition as Kentucky’s Male Veteran of the Year, and being entered into the Congressional Record as an “Outstanding Kentuckian.”
Beyond leading his congregation, Thurman spearheaded the restoration of Lexington’s Week of Valor, coordinating efforts among more than 30 organizations and dozens of volunteers to honor veterans. He also donated property to Lady Veterans Connect, establishing the first home dedicated to serving women veterans. Additionally, he played a key role in launching Project Veterans with the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, an initiative focused on protecting veterans and their families from fraud and scams. His leadership extended to serving as an advisor to Congressman Andy Barr on his district’s Veterans' Council, further advocating for the needs of veterans in Kentucky.
To say that Vince Giaccone lends a helping hand in his community would be an understatement. As the founder of GLOVES, a volunteer group at Zachary United Methodist Church, he leads efforts to support older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities. His group builds ramps, makes home repairs, and assists with tasks that may be challenging, such as gardening and home maintenance.
Beyond his work with GLOVES, Giaccone also spearheaded an initiative to honor military veterans by delivering handmade quilts to those receiving care at the local VA hospital. Each month, he personally delivers quilts featuring the military emblems of each veteran’s branch of service as a special tribute on their birthdays.
Nominations for the 2025 Andrus Awards will open later this year. Stay tuned for updates, and Visit Create the Good aarp.org/volunteer to learn more about how you can recognize an outstanding volunteer in your community.