President’s Message
Summer days arrived in April; let us hope May is not that hot. At any rate it is nice to feel warm. As you know our day of service will be May 14. Roxanne Kessler or your team leader will have contacted you by now to finalize the schedule. I want to thank all of you in advance for participating. It is the level of participation that makes this a wonderful and vibrant chapter.
At the April meeting it was my great pleasure to present Marion and Frank Jacobeen with the AARP Chapter Volunteer of the Year award. It was awarded primarily for their work at Sheltering Arms along with all the work they did with programs and in addition to the work they do with other organizations to help the community. Thank you again Frank and Marion.
At the April board meeting two donations were approved. The first to sponsor a child for the 4-H Camp though the Virginia Cooperative Extension4-H Youth Development. The second was to sponsor a hole at the Sheriff’s Citizens Police Academy Golf Tournament fundraiser. We have received thank you notes from both organizations.
At the May meeting we will have a sign-up sheet for volunteers to help set up, clean, cook, remove trash to the compactor, etc. The picnic is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work The more organized helpers we have, the easier it will be. Again I thank you in advance for any help you can give.
Please read the notice in the box on this page concerning the red address label some of you may have on this issue.
A happy Mother’s Day to all!
Carla Wascalus, President
Archaeologist to Discuss
Historic Preservation
by Carolyn Wray, Publicity
Lynne Lewis, Senior Archaeologist with National Trust for Historic Preservation, will be the guest speaker at the May 18, AARP meeting. She is currently stationed at Montpelier in Orange County. She is a graduate of George Washington University holding a BA in Anthropology and MA in American Studies. Lynn’s work with the NTHP has taken her all over the country with much of her work concentrated in the Eastern United States. Lynne’s interests, outside of archaeology, include books, photography and travel. Her current affiliations are: American Association for State and Local History, Orange County African American Historical Society, Founding Member, and Orange County Historical Society, Treasurer and past President
The AARP Chapter 5329 program will be held on Monday, May 18, at the Lake of the Woods Clubhouse. Sweets and coffee will be served at 9:30AM and the program will begin at 10AM. Everyone is welcome.
We encourage senior citizens to come and join this very active group and get involved in the many projects in LOW and the surrounding community. This program with Archaeologist Lynne Lewis should be a most interesting program about projects that many of us know little about. Please join us and bring a friend.
Please note that if your address label is printed in RED you have not paid your 2009 dues. This will be your last issue if you do not pay by May 31. If you believe that you have paid please contact Linda on 972-9020 to double check.
BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY
(Taurus and Gemini)
Patricia Batten, Pat Bisset, William Bradford, James Buongiovanni, Diana Calegari, Evadine Cooper, Joe Diamondstein, Larry Eiben, Jeanette Embrey. Robin Farrell, Linda Fisher-Kavanagh, John Gamble, Alice Grgas, Gloria Hutt, Edward Jones, Gay Jones, Ramona Lamon, Janet Liberti, Arthur Lieb, Jim MacIntosh, Rani Manhard, Harvey Miller, Linda Ogletree, Pierre Payette, Val Protiva, Edwin Roessler, Barbara Rueckert, and Albert Sanborn
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to the following new members:
Richard B. Bergmann and Janet Emblidge
SUNSHINE REPORT
Get-well cards were sent to Boyd Bowes, Carolyn Durphy, Dwight Mottet, and Paul Zacheis.
A thinking of you card was sent to Vera Moody.
Sympathy cards were sent to Frank and Ida Cangelose on death of their nephew; Jim and Theresa Danoy on the death of Thersa's brother; and June Belinsky on the death of her husband Samuel
If you know of a member who needs cheering up, contact Carolyn Durphy at 972-3306.
Notes, Bits and Pieces
Fundraisers for the Sheriff’s Office
· May 11, Golf tournament at Meadows
· Shredder Event
The OC Sheriff’s Office is sponsoring a Shredder Event from 11 AM to 2 PM on May 16 at the intersection of Route 20, near of Route 611.
ProShred, a northern Virginia firm, conducts free shredding as a community service to aid in reducing identity theft by allowing folks who don’t have home shredders to destroy their old personal papers safely.
Even if you have a home shredder, when things have piled up, don’t burn out the itty bitty shredder, but bring those stacks to the shredder event. This is free, and folks can drop off their documents and leave or they can park and watch the shredding operation on a real time TV screen. Donations will be accepted and any proceeds will go to the OC Sheriff’s Office to be used for programs such as the Citizens Police Academy classes. Plastic bags and cardboard boxes cannot be put in the shredder, so they need to be emptied when you arrive; you can take the bags/boxes home to store more detritus. Credit cards and CDs are allowed to satisfy the hunger of the shredder. Paper clips and staples are also OK. Traffic control will be accomplished by volunteers and members of the Sheriff’s Office.
HEALTH CARE NEWS
by Patti Batten
The big news in health care this month is the swine flu and what to do to prevent it.
1. Stay informed, follow public health advised precautions and preventives.
2. Develop a family emergency plan to include storing a supply of food, medicines, facemasks, alcohol based hand rubs and other essentials.
3. Call 1-800-CDC-info for more information
4. Watch out for fraudulent swine flu products FDA as well as FTC are warning people to look out for web sites and other promotions that claim to be able to diagnose, prevent, cure and treat swine flu.
Other Health News
AARP has a weight loss challenge “Fat 2 Fit Program” to see how many pounds we can drop by June 15. To enter go to http://www.aarp/ Org and get started. See 10 exercises to trim 10 pounds in 10 days, very simple exercises that anyone of any age and condition can do, and I add with willpower.
I have talked with some of you who are now in your “donut hole” or coverage gap in your Medicare Part D. www.hhs.gov offers 5 ways to lower your costs during this coverage gap.
LEGISLATIVE REPORT
by Pat Berry
National: The Economic Stimulus Package has several sections of specific interest to members of AARP. For example, if a homeowner is considering the purchase of a new efficient air conditioner, heat pump or furnace, the bill provides a 30-percent tax credit of up to $1,500 for that purchase. The credit can also be used to replace leaky windows or add insulation in the attic.
If you buy a new car before the end of 2009, you are eligible for a deduction for state and local sales taxes, even if you don’t itemize on your tax return. The credit applies only to the first $49,500 of the cost of the car. Next year and in 2011, taxpayers will be able to claim a tax credit up to $2,500 for the purchase of a plug-in hybrid until manufacturers sell more than 200,000 of these vehicles.
For more information, check http://www.aarp.org/ and the Economic Stimulus Checklist.
Virginia: Signed by the Governor
HB 1938 – For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, a livable home tax credit of up to $2,000 for retrofitting of an existing residence has been enacted.
HB 2182 - Allows localities to exempt disabled veterans, non-disabled veterans and the surviving spouses of veterans from local vehicle license fees and taxes.
