AARP Houston’s Community Building Day: Celebrating Five Years of Age-Friendly Work
AARP Houston organized a Community Building Day with City of Houston council members on August 27. This event marked AARP’s commitment to creating livable, age-friendly communities by partnering with city officials and council members to improve the quality of life for 50+ residents. The day was filled with engaging meetings to educate and interact with newly elected council members.
The focus was on the progress made over the past five years in promoting livable communities and age-friendly work. This initiative has been pivotal in enhancing the quality of life for older adults in Houston, and it was signed into an executive order designating Houston as an age-friendly community. This order outlined nine domains: housing, health, community services, and transportation. It ensured that Houston remains a welcoming and supportive environment for its aging population.
Several key figures participated in the event, including Councilmember Twila Carter, Leah Wolfthal, Policy Director for Council member Julian Ramirez, Councilmember Willie Davis, Councilmember Sallie Alcorn, Councilmember Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Councilmember Joaquin Martinez, and Councilmember Mario Castillo.
Each council member brought unique insights and a shared commitment to the cause. They also shared key issues their constituents care about and where AARP could make an impact.
AARP’s Volunteer Mary Esther Vigil expressed gratitude to Mayor John Whitmire during the public session for his instrumental role in the Water Bill Plan, an initiative to have more transparent water bills.
AARP’s work continues. AARP Texas Community Strategy Director Rosalinda Martinez said, “Since the start of AARP’s Age-Friendly, Livable Communities Plan, we’ve faced a global pandemic and economic challenges; therefore, it’s essential to continuously review and update our plans to meet the community’s needs.”
Martinez highlighted the 5th anniversary of AARP’s Age-Friendly work and its commitment to expanding the impact by working closely with council members to keep older adults at the forefront of local policies.
