AARP TN President Receives Regional `Outstanding Volunteer’ Award
Margot Seay Lauded by Area Agencies on Aging for Long-Term Care Work
AARP Tennessee State President Margot Seay (of Kingsport), who has spent more than a decade advocating for improvements in long-term care services, was presented Monday with an award recognizing her as the 2009 ``Outstanding Volunteer in Aging’’ by the eight-state Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
``There were so many excellent candidates, but Margot’s nomination was moved to the top of the list almost immediately,’’ said Knoxville’s Aaron Bradley, president of the Tennessee Association of Area Agencies on Aging and a member of the regional association’s awards committee. ``She is the epitome of volunteerism in this field of work. What she is doing in her community and across the state is having a tremendous impact on people’s lives.’’
Seay’s work on landmark legislation restructuring the state’s long-term care system has even been recognized by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who invited Margot on a six-city tour last year to celebrate passage of the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act.
``"This is a well-deserved honor and I offer my congratulations to Margot," said the governor. "She works tirelessly for Tennessee's senior citizens with great energy and enthusiasm, and as State President of AARP, made an invaluable contribution to the state's efforts to expand long-term care options."
Seay, who lives in Kingsport, Tenn., was appointed to AARP’s highest-ranking volunteer position in January 2007. Margot was employed as the Recruiter/Coordinator of Volunteers for the First Tennessee District Ombudsman Program from 1996-2002. It was through her work in the Ombudsman Program, plus caring for her aging mother, that she became interested in expanding available long-term care choices in Tennessee.
Seay, who was presented with the award during a luncheon in Charleston, S.C., said she was honored. ``I can’t tell you how much I appreciate and admire the work that the area agencies do. They led the way for changing our long-term care system and I look forward to working with them on the implementation of the Choices program,’’ she said.
The Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging, which represents Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky, was created as an advocacy association in 1974 and served as the prototype for the national association. To learn more, visit http://www.se4a.org/
With more than 700,000 members in Tennessee, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial and affordable to them and society as a whole. We produce AARP The Magazine, published bimonthly; AARP Bulletin, our monthly newspaper; AARP Segunda Juventud, our bimonthly magazine in Spanish and English; NRTA Live & Learn, our quarterly newsletter for 50+ educators; and our website, AARP.org. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity that provides security, protection, and empowerment to older persons in need with support from thousands of volunteers, donors, and sponsors. We have staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/tn
