AARP PA Volunteer Spotlight: Cheryl Lenhart

This spotlight interview was conducted and written by fellow AARP Engagement Team Volunteer Karla Perelstine. Inspired by the contributions of AARP volunteers around her, Karla is lending her writing skills to shine a light on the efforts of fellow AARP volunteers and the amazing work they lead to enhance the lives of 50+ adults and people of all ages. To learn more about local volunteering opportunities with AARP, please complete our volunteer interest form here.

Meet AARP volunteer, Cheryl Lenhart. Cheryl has been a volunteer with AARP for two years and in that time has led AARP’s 50+ walking series with the Allegheny Land Trust, built livable communities-inspired gingerbread houses for the City of Pittsburgh Gingerbread Competition, and gathered her family together for AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime “Cupid Crew Project” to create Valentine cards for nursing home residents.

Outside of her AARP endeavors, Cheryl stays active in strength training, learns how to create international dishes through an online virtual cooking club and crochets lap blankets for nursing home residents.

Cheryl has always enjoyed being a helper. A registered nurse, she volunteers with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Heart Association and in the loving care she has provided to her late husband, two children and five wonderful grandchildren.

In 2021, after the loss of her husband, entering retirement, and grappling with the isolation brought on by COVID-19, Cheryl was eager to find a connection to volunteerism that would be both meaningful and allow her to continue helping others. There was no better place to do this, she said, than with AARP.

For Cheryl, AARP has emerged as the perfect platform to channel her skills and passion for helping others. She is excited to have the opportunity to tap into valuable information offered through AARP publications and website, so that she may share this information with others. Cheryl has also enjoyed the camaraderie she has developed with other AARP volunteers. She has found that her experiences with AARP have provided her with so many different and varied opportunities to work with and help others - virtually, in-person, with small groups and with large groups. AARP offers an opportunity for everyone to find their niche.