Reply #20: Old money - finances of the American Association of Retired Persons-6 page story

[fed-up]

edited to add that I cross-posted this in a new thread in GD

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n6_v24/ai_12300153

Old money - finances of the American Association of Retired Persons
Why the mighty AARP spends as much furnishing its offices as it does on
programs to help the elderly
Christopher Georges

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) receives
approximately $75 million annually from the federal government to run a
pair of job training and placement programs for older Americans--two of
the largest of their kind. A recent phone call to AARP's Washington,
D.C., headquarters to inquire about enrollment in the programs led to
the following:

The caller, after unsuccessfully attempting to explain the programs to
two befuddled receptionists, was bounced to Jack Everett, an official
in the organization's Senior Employment Office, who cheerfully
explained that AARP offers no federally funded job placement or
training programs. Everett suggested calling the Department of Labor
(the agency that pays AARP $52 million to run one of the programs) for
help. He also offered other ideas, like, "Try the phone book under the
senior citizens section," and suggested contacting the National Council
on Senior Citizens, another, smaller advocacy group for older
Americans. He even threw in some job-training advice: "You'll need a
resume. That's always a good first step...."

Everett's not alone. Similar inquiries at AARP offices in major cities
in 16 states turned up like responses: Only six of the offices were
aware that these programs even exist, although AARP literature boasts
that they're offered at 108 sites across the nation. One office
suggested calling Elder Temps, a privately run job-placement firm.
Another advised calling the Jewish Council for the Aging. Several
others suggested enrolling in an AARP job search workshop and
seminar--for a fee of $35.

...snip-article is 6 pages long-a must read for a true picture of AARP


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