Merrick Woman Named AARP NY’s ‘Organizer of the Year’
Marjorie Harrison’s Hard Work, Dedication, Leadership Helped Push AARP’s Rx Cost Reduction Agenda, More
MERRICK, N.Y. - AARP Volunteer Marjorie Harrison of Merrick was honored as AARP New York’s 2021 “Organizer of the Year” on September 8 at Hempstead Lake State Park during the first in-person get-together for Nassau County volunteers since the pandemic began.
After joining AARP New York’s volunteer ranks just two short years ago during the pandemic, Marjorie has become the association’s lead advocacy volunteer for Hempstead through hard work, dedication and leadership.
Just one year into her time as a volunteer, Marjorie played a critical role in a 2021 lawn sign campaign pressing Congress to pass prescription drug price reduction provisions that just last month were signed into law by President Biden.
These provisions include allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for expensive and widely used drugs and capping seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs in Medicare.
“Marjorie has taken care of every advocacy visit and phone call while spearheading important conversations with elected officials on all AARP New York’s legislative priorities for the Town of Hempstead,” said Bernard Macias, AARP New York Associate State Director for Long Island.
“My motto has always been: use my voice, use my vote,” said Organizer of the Year Marjorie Harrison. “When I retired, I realized how little I knew about senior issues, whether that be Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug pricing, nursing homes, and COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments), among others. AARP offered me tremendous opportunities to learn about all these topics from its excellent resources and especially from its knowledgeable local, state, and national AARP staff members. It is a pleasure working with my fellow volunteers in AARP/Hempstead, a great group of dedicated people.”
In the sprawling town, Marjorie is the lead volunteer for seven state legislative districts - Assembly Districts 12, 18, 20, 21 and 22, and Senate Districts 6 and 9.
Marjorie and her husband, Fred, are former teachers. Their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter also live in Merrick.
Marjorie has been politically active since a young age, when she joined her family stuffing mailboxes with flyers. She has attended and actively participated in many AARP New York telephone town halls with elected officials and others, along with AARP New York volunteer advocacy training sessions and informational zoom meetings.
Marjorie has enthusiastically reported on all of AARP New York’s legislative priorities at volunteer meetings and has encouraged AARP volunteers to get more involved and make phone calls to legislators, stressing the importance and power of doing so.
She has taken the initiative to make individual phone calls to volunteers with an interest in advocacy to organize a strong volunteer unit. She knows legislators respect AARP and take the issues volunteers bring to their attention seriously.
If you are interested in volunteering with AARP, please email AARP New York for more information.
Contact: Erik Kriss, ekriss@aarp.org
Follow us on Twitter: @AARPNY and Facebook: AARP New York
About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol and @AARPadvocates, @AliadosAdelante on social media.
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