2026 Andrus Award for Community Service

You and a guest are invited to join us for the AARP Rhode Island Andrus Award for Community Service Recognition Luncheon, where we will honor volunteer Marianne Kelly with this prestigious award. Named for AARP’s founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, the Andrus Award recognizes individuals who use their experience, talents, and skills to enrich their communities, advance AARP’s mission, and inspire others to volunteer.

Marianne has been a dedicated AARP Rhode Island volunteer since 2021. As a legislative advocate, she has championed policies on housing and aging in place, but her true passion is fraud prevention education. Followers of AARP Rhode Island’s Facebook page know her as the face of the “If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam” public service announcements. Other AARP Rhode Island volunteer roles that Marianne serves include co-chair of the Advocacy Fraud Committee and the Virtual Tech Team, volunteer lead of the Fraud Fighting Friday shred series, and member of the  Speakers Bureau and the Community Challenge Grant Review Committee. Nationally, she is a member of the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

A lifelong advocate for women's rights and equal rights, Marianne is also a writer. She is the author of Menopause: The Liberation Period (Second Edition) and its Companion Journal, and she is working on her first novel. In her professional career, she served as Municipal Town Clerk for West Warwick, Rhode Island, and Branford, Connecticut, and as Registrar of Voters for the Town of Branford.

Marianne grew up in Orange, Connecticut. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and her master’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University. She moved to Johnston, Rhode Island 13 years ago and lives  in an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) attached to her daughter's family home. She proudly promotes her ADU lifestyle and speaks of her experience on behalf of AARP’s advocacy for this housing option. She is devoted to her five grandchildren and loves cooking plant-based meals and tending her garden. Her parents taught her the importance of giving back, and she lives by that lesson: "You get back so much more than you give."

 More About the Andrus Award for Community Service:

AARP’s commitment to community service can be traced back to the life and vision of our founder, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. From the beginning, her motto – “To serve, not to be served” - has shaped our community service efforts at the national, state, and local levels. Each year, AARP selects one volunteer from each state as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to honor the legacy of Dr. Andrus with the Andrus Award for Community Service, our most prestigious and visible volunteer award.

For more information, contact AARP Rhode Island at riaarp@aarp.org