Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined 327 Gail Straus: The Power of Volunteering
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Gail Straus is mostly retired, meaning that in addition to volunteer work, she remains open to the occasional client project. In 2021, Gail joined the Communications Team at AARP Illinois as a volunteer. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Guest House Chicago, donates time and expertise to the Moran Center for Social Justice in Evanston, is on the Ambassadors Advisory Committee to Steppenwolf Theater Company, and volunteers for the Taproot Foundation.
We asked, “How did you become involved with AARP-IL?” Gail was clear of her intent to use her expertise and skills in an organization which would recognize her value as a volunteer. AARP IL’s Director of Communication was delighted to tap into her experience. As an active volunteer member of the communications team, she brings insight into connecting marketing and outreach strategies to the most effective communications vehicles. More importantly, she serves as the voice of the older adult for the communications team.
Gail also writes a monthly column on older adults for AARP-IL and says, “Don’t call me elderly!” A big reason Gail is volunteering for AARP is their advocacy for older adults in the country.
As Gail described, AARP advocates for programs such as social security, provides information and sponsors events on topics that are important to keeping older adults viable and vital and provides an extensive array of both virtual and in-person recreational, informational and entertainment resources such as fraud protection, yoga, cooking classes, ethnic celebrations and arts programming.
You can easily get involved by checking out your state chapter at AARP.org
CONNECT WITH GAIL:
Email: Gailkstraus@gmail.com