April Adventures: A Month of Community, Connection, and Celebration with AARP Georgia

Medrano, Ingrid L

ATLANTA, Georgia— AARP Georgia spent the month of April immersed in purpose and connection as they embraced Earth Day and Volunteer Appreciation Month. From celebrating Earth Day at the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, to our Volunteer Leadership Team (VOLT) and Portal Champions at Topgolf Atlanta, and our Older Americans Festival, it was a month filled with moments of community, connection, and celebration.

AARP Georgia celebrated volunteer appreciation month with daily messages and images posted on its various social media platforms, featured a message from the national office, and recognized a different volunteer each week for their contributions.

In Augusta, volunteers were presented with plants during their monthly meeting and in Atlanta, appointed leadership volunteers and Portal Champions spent an afternoon together with staff celebrating at TopGolf.

Additionally, staff sent cards and tokens of appreciation to their volunteer leadership teams. In Augusta, volunteers were presented with plants during their monthly meeting and in Atlanta, VOLT members and Portal Champions spent an afternoon together with staff celebrating at TopGolf.

In the spirit of environmental stewardship, we kicked off the month by recognizing Earth Day with a day of green-thumb action at the Metro Atlanta Urban Farm, the Atlanta VA, and the Palmetto Baptist Church. Dedicated volunteers like Laurie Roland and Founder Bobby Wilson, organized volunteers as we planted herbs, pruned peach trees, and taught children the joys of gardening. Special thanks to all our volunteers for their hard work and commitment to sustainability.

The Atlanta Veteran Affairs, led by AARP Associate State Director Jil Hinds, and joined by AARP Georgia volunteers, including Retired Col. Brenda Andrews and Military Spouse Diana Johnson, we rolled up our sleeves at a gardening session and got our hands dirty for a good cause. Under Hinds’ guidance, we prepped and planted garden beds, and learned valuable gardening techniques like companion planting and pest control.

Jil Hinds was also featured during an internal Employee Resource Group event: The Black Farmers Amongst Us – Here at AARP where she personally shared her home garden and gave valuable gardening tips, while Hillary Johnson, Manager, Outreach and Volunteer Engagement and Series Co-creator, moderated the session.

Stay tuned for more adventures ahead with AARP Georgia by staying tuned to www.AARP.org/ga and www.AARP.org/local.