Wednesday, February 7, 2001

Benefits abound for AARP members

Carrying a membership card from the American Association of Retired Persons if you are over 50 is almost a given.

While getting your "arp" card, as the initiated call it, may not engender quite the same thrill as getting your first driver's license, and the card is usually not displayed as eagerly and proudly as that license, it does come with many benefits.

Membership benefits are too extensive to list in a short article, but some of them include airline, automobile rental, cruise, hotel, Internet, and shopping discounts. Financial and legal services, a pharmacy, travel planning assistance and a Small Business Center are just a few of the services available to members.

Members also receive one of two magazines, My Generation or Modern Maturity, and a monthly bulletin. Membership dues are a bargain at only $10 a year. Membership in the local AARP chapter is an additional $5 a year.

"Old" is older than it used to be, which has resulted in some changes in AARP's focus and services.

The premier issue of My Generation magazine has just hit the stands. The magazine is geared to meet the needs of the 76 million American "baby boomers" who fall between the ages of 50 to 55.

The bimonthly magazine is "a unique format that speaks to boomers who want loads of information fast," according to the AARP. Modern Maturity will continue to be distributed as a benefit to members 56 and older.

If there is power in numbers, the AARP is truly a powerful organization to be a member of. The AARP boasts a membership of over 700,000 in Georgia alone.

AARP has a formidable presence in Washington. The group is in the forefront lobbying and working to affect senior issues. AARP is a nonpartisan organization, according to its literature, and does not have a political action committee. They do not enforce or contribute financially to candidates or specific political parties.

Some of the advocacy efforts the group has focused on are Social Security, age discrimination, utility deregulation, Medicare and predatory lending.

Wandering around the web site, www.aarp.org, highlights the wide reach of the group. The AARP offers assistance, information and guidance in almost every aspect of senior life imaginable.

Looking for a job after retiring? Check out the Senior Community Service Employment Program. They provide "temporary work experience for people age 55 and over whose incomes fall at or below the federal poverty line."

Or stop by "Working Options" and take a self-assessment quiz, get help refocusing skills, overcoming age barriers and handling interviews. If starting your own business is something you've been considering, stop by "Start Your Own Business."

If Internet access is not available, AARP has a number of periodicals and other written information available to members. Toll free numbers are provided for each service and are provided in the membership packet.

The organization is a private, nonprofit membership organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. They were founded under the umbrella of the National Retired Teacher's Association (NRTA) in 1958. In 1980, the NRTA and AARP merged on the national level.

For more information regarding AARP contact Eridene Kelley at 770-460-9417 or Doris Jones at 770-471-4964 locally or call the State office at 404-881-0292. SCSEP, Senior Community Service Employment Program, information is available in Atlanta at 404-609-9697.

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