AARP South Carolina 2025 Year in Review: Connected, Informed, and Moving Forward

As we wrap up 2025, AARP South Carolina is proud to reflect on the work we’ve done together with members, volunteers, and partners across the Palmetto State. Guided by AARP’s mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age, we focused on closing gaps, lifting up communities, and being both a wise friend and a fierce defender for people 50-plus and their families.


Below are a few highlights from a year filled with connection, advocacy, and impact—and a look at how we’re building momentum for 2026.

Through partnerships, training, and innovation, AARP South Carolina worked to ensure older adults are not left behind in an increasingly digital world.

• Chapter-led digital literacy programs in Rock Hill—and soon Anderson—helped older adults feel more confident using smartphones, tablets, and computers to stay in touch with loved ones, access health care, and manage finances.
• Our volunteers stepped up as trusted guides for consumers, leading Utilities 101 sessions to help residents understand their bills, conserve energy, and ask the right questions.
• AARP South Carolina volunteers also spoke up in rate hearings to keep energy affordable, advocating for fairness and transparency for households across the state.

Together, these efforts are helping more South Carolinians get—and stay—connected.

In 2025, we continued to deliver programs that matter, while trying fresh approaches to meet people where they are:

• Virtual healthy cooking series gave members easy, at-home ways to explore nutritious recipes and support better health.
• Veteran resource fairs connected veterans and military families to benefits, services, and community support they’ve earned.
• New, creative experiences—from educational workshops to fun, social events—reflected our ongoing balance of tradition and innovation, rooted in trust and fueled by community.

And yes, South Carolina proudly joined the pickleball craze, using play and social connection as tools to support healthy, active aging.

AARP South Carolina delivered landmark wins through bold advocacy and collaboration with volunteers, lawmakers, and community partners. This year, we:

• Helped double the Personal Needs Allowance, giving nursing home residents more dignity and flexibility in how they manage their own small, daily expenses.
• Championed $350 million for a new brain health hospital, strengthening access to critical mental and brain health care for families across the state.
• Took Social Security advocacy statewide and to Capitol Hill, reminding leaders that older adults are watching—and that the promise of Social Security must be protected.

From Sundaes for Security events to an inspiring Evening of Soul, we brought advocacy to life in ways that were engaging, joyful, and grounded in community.

In June, AARP South Carolina joined OUTFEST Columbia – A Famously Hot Block Party to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with the South Carolina Pride Movement.

This vibrant event brought people from across the Palmetto State to Columbia to:

• Celebrate community and inclusion
• Shop with local vendors and small businesses
• Enjoy local and national entertainment on a big stage

Our presence at OUTFEST underscored AARP’s commitment to serve all people 50-plus, including LGBTQ+ older adults and their families, with information, resources, and a strong sense of belonging.

This year, AARP South Carolina hit the road for a Consumer Protection Road Show, working closely with local leaders, organizations, and law enforcement to help communities stay safe from scams and fraud.

We focused on:

• Educating residents about common scams, including impostor schemes, sweepstakes scams, and tech support fraud.
• Raising awareness about the risks of cryptocurrency ATMs, which are increasingly used by scammers to pressure people into sending money.
• Sharing steps for how to report fraud to local law enforcement and the appropriate agencies, so victims and communities are not left to navigate it alone.

Through these efforts, we helped South Carolinians recognize the red flags of fraud and feel more confident saying, “No, that doesn’t sound right.”

In 2025, AARP South Carolina joined the nation in celebrating the 90th birthday of Social Security, one of our country’s most successful and popular programs.

We went around the state to celebrate America’s favorite pastime—baseball—while honoring Social Security’s legacy. At ballparks and community events, we reminded South Carolinians that Social Security is a vital lifeline, especially for older adults, and a promise that must be kept.

Our campaign proudly echoed AARP’s Social Security slogan: “We Earned It.”
Together, we recognized the generations of workers who contributed and the millions who rely on Social Security today and will in the future.

When the government shutdown created uncertainty and strain for many South Carolinians, AARP South Carolina responded quickly to help fill the gap.

We:

• Donated $10,000 to the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s One SC Fund, which directs funds to food pantries and local service providers on the front lines.
• Worked with community partners to share information and resources, ensuring people knew where to turn for help with food, bills, and basic needs.
• Demonstrated that AARP is there in times of crisis—listening, supporting, and standing with the communities we serve.

This rapid response highlighted our role as both a wise friend and fierce defender, especially for those who may be most vulnerable.

These are just a few of the many stories that showcase the great work our volunteers, partners, and members are doing across the Palmetto State. From classrooms to courthouses, from ballparks to block parties, AARP South Carolina is showing up where it matters most.

AARP is a wise friend and fierce defender for people 50-plus and their families. As we close out 2025 and welcome 2026, we are riding on the momentum of our advocates and volunteers and look forward to a strong and successful year ahead—filled with more opportunities to learn, connect, and make a difference together.

Stay tuned, stay engaged, and thank you for being part of the AARP South Carolina community.