I would like to begin this column by taking this opportunity to thank those who commented and emailed me their thoughts about last week’s column. Whether or not we agreed on some or none of my thoughts, I appreciate you taking the time to share yours.
And now I would like to introduce you to a personal hero of mine, Michael Petty. He was just notified he won the AARP Andrus Award, which AARP of Washington describes as their “most prestigious” award.
The AARP Andrus Award is named after Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, the founder of AARP, which was incorporated on July 1, 1958, as the American Association of Retired Persons.
Local Lion Honored by AARP
Michael Petty, past president, past zone chair, and manager of the Olympia Host Lions Low Vision Resource Center (LVRC) in Olympia, has been recognized by AARP for his years of dedicated service to the LVRC.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Michael found his way to Olympia after a twenty-one-year career in the United States Air Force.
A few years after he retired in 1981, having reached the rank of SMSgt (E8), he and his wife arrived in Olympia where he began a second career working for the Department of the Army, as a civilian, until 2007. This was also the same year he became a Lion.
Thanks to his hard work and unwavering dedication, the LVRC has become a joint project throughout Lions District 19N, that includes 77 other Lions Clubs.
The LVRC provides the visually challenged with large and small visual aids, from Portland to Bellingham and beyond, without charge. There are no time, age, or income limits to qualify for the loan of the equipment.
Michael organizes, motivates, and trains the volunteers that staff the LVRC, often filling in for someone who can’t make their commitment. He maintains the inventory, orders supplies and networks with retailers, willing to loan the LVRC equipment to evaluate and introduce to their clients.
He attends health fairs and sets up their booth to display some of the equipment available to improve the quality of life for those with visual limitations.
Nor is this the only volunteer effort he works at. He and his wife Sandra support their church’s feed the hungry program. He is very active with the club’s biggest fund raiser, their apple sales every fall, as well as their plastic recycling program, sensory garden and Burger Den at Lake Fair and the Air Show. He makes visits all over the Puget Sound to members who have been hospitalized.
Always one of the first to raise his hand for any project needing volunteers, he also travels throughout the district to educate other clubs about what it takes to keep the LVRC up and running and how they can help.
And he does this all without making a fuss or show – quietly and often behind the scenes.
His generous spirit is a big part of how he inspires others to get involved. A $2,000 honorarium comes with the AARP Award, and true to form, he has already announced his intention to donate the full amount to the LVRC.
• How has the nominee's work supported AARP's vision and purpose?
· How has the work of the nominee improved the community or enhanced the lives of its residents for which/whom the work was performed?
· How has the work of the nominee improved the community or enhanced the lives of its residents for which/whom the word was performed?
· What is inspiring, courageous, unusual, or innovative about the nominee's achievement?
· How has the nominee's work impacted other volunteers or inspired others to volunteer?
Michael Petty has excelled in all the categories above. He has earned the gratitude of hundreds of members of our communities for the sharing of his gifts; the giving of his time, his energy and vast experience of how to inspire others to do the same.
Michael has been married to his sweetheart, Sandra, for 59 years. They have two sons, two granddaughters, and four great-grandchildren, all of whom are very proud to be part of his family and legacy.
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