AARP got started when Dr. Ethel
Percy Andrus, a retired high school principal from California, got mad.
Some 60 years ago, she went to look up a retired teacher she knew.
And she found the woman living in an old chicken coop… with only
a meager pension and no medical insurance. So Ethel got mad. And she
also got organized. She began a campaign to provide affordable medical
insurance for retired educators. It was difficult, but her persistence
paid off. Eight years later, she was offering the first ever group health
insurance coverage to retired teachers throughout the nation.
She soon discovered that many other older Americans needed help as
well, and in 1958, she founded AARP. But she saw AARP as doing much
more than making available health insurance. She saw AARP as an army
of useful citizens who had the ability, the experience and the desire
to promote and enhance the public good.
In 2007, we got mad again… and we got organized. We launched Divided
We Fail (DWF) – the biggest endeavor in AARP history. DWF is a national
initiative to end political gridlock in support of quality, affordable
health care and lifetime financial security for all. We launched
in January with Business Roundtable and SEIU and were joined in November
by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Many others
also have signed on.
Thanks in large part to AARP’s current “army of useful citizens,”
DWF has contributed significantly to raising the issues of health
and financial security on the national agenda and in the presidential
campaign. We now move into 2008 as a strong voice for change.
As you read our 2007 Annual Report, you will see that we champion the
future of our members and of every generation by focusing on the five
core needs every generation shares: The need for health and financial
security; the need to not only feel connected to your family and community,
but also to give something back; and the need to simply enjoy life.
2008 will be one of the most significant years in American socio-economic
and political history. It’s an election year—with great consequences
for the future. It’s also our 50th anniversary—our opportunity not just
to celebrate, but to look ahead with confidence, to lead positive social
change and to build AARP stronger still.
As the world’s largest membership organization with nearly 40 million
members, we will continue to do what no one person can. We will champion
the future of all generations through relentless action and a commitment
to service…all the while never forgetting the one act of compassion
that started it all.
Bill Novelli, CEO
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