Sep 4, 2008 9:30 pm US/Eastern
AARP Celebrates 50th With Star-Studded Event
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
What a year to turn 50. Madonna, Prince Albert of Monaco, Jamie Lee Curtis and CNN's Christiane Amanpour all hit the milestone this year. And on Thursday, the organization representing the over-50 crew celebrated its own Big 5-0 with speakers and music at the Lincoln Memorial.
"Happy birthday AARP. Yeah, baby!" shouted tennis champion Martina Navratilova, the health and fitness ambassador for AARP, the national organization that focuses on quality of life issues for older Americans.
She encouraged the crowd of about 5,000 to take baby steps toward better health and embrace their passions. Other public figures, including actress Sally Field, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Elder Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., encouraged those over 50 to live their dreams, demand affordable health care, be each other's keeper and remember that age is just a number.
"What happens after this celebration has ended will be determined by individuals," King said. "Let us not stop at this celebration! Keep moving!"
The Lincoln Memorial fete, which coincided with the opening day of AARP's annual convention, was the culmination of a celebration that started in January for the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons.
Officials expect 30,000 people to attend the conference, where Navratilova will teach a fitness class Saturday. Presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama are also scheduled to speak via satellite.
For Aquilla Stokes of St. Louis, Mo., being one of 40 million AARP members is like having a safety net. "It's very good to know that it's there if I need something," said Stokes, 75, of St. Louis.
AARP was founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, an educator who became California's first female high school principal. The organization publishes three editions of AARP The Magazine to cater to different age ranges in the 50-plus population, as well as AARP Segunda Juventud, a bilingual magazine for Hispanic members.
With an annual budget of $1.3 billion, AARP's reach continues to grow as America's older population explodes. People 50 and older total about 93 million and represent more than 30 percent of the U.S. population, according to AARP spokeswoman Michelle Alvarez.
They fall into the baby boomer generation -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- which numbers more than 70 million. By 2030, nearly one in five Americans will be 65 or older, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in August. And by mid-century, older people will be more ethnically and racially diverse.
Many people over 50 work longer and have a greater disposable income. They're also healthier and active in their communities, William Novelli, AARP's chief executive officer, said in a telephone interview.
"The whole concept of retirement has essentially been retired," said Novelli, who is 67. AARP has already started researching the next generation of people over 50.
"We have to look beyond the boomers," Novelli said. "We have to be ready when they come."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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