Help Advocate for Policies That Support Older Coloradans

When she was an oncology nurse, Amelia Schachter spent many frustrating hours on the phone with insurance companies, trying to get authorization for her patients to receive lifesaving drugs.

Now retired, Schachter, 69, of Firestone, is still fighting to ensure Coloradans have access to the medications they need—this time as an AARP state legislative advocacy volunteer. This past year, she met with her state representative and also testified about drug prices during a state Senate committee hearing.

“We are the people affected by these decisions, and we speak for the people affected,” Schachter says.

AARP Colorado’s more than 20 legislative volunteers are invaluable to its work across the state, says Karen Moldovan, associate state director of advocacy.

Volunteers give real-world perspectives, Moldovan says.

In addition to connecting with lawmakers one-on-one, volunteers use their professional experiences to help AARP analyze bills. Retired lawyers, accountants, teachers and doctors can offer additional perspective, which is valuable to AARP staff.

Bob Mulch, a 73-year-old retired physician, from Timnath, holds weekly online meetings during the legislative session with a subgroup of volunteers to discuss health care bills. He also contacts legislators.

“It’s really good if you can sit there and tell them a story ... about why it’s important,” Mulch says.

The 2025 legislative session begins Jan. 8, and AARP Colorado is seeking volunteers with interest and expertise in policy areas such as health care and housing. It’s also looking for new recruits from Colorado Congressional Districts 2, 4, 5 and 8, and for volunteers with experience as family caregivers.

Email kmoldovan@aarp.org or call (303) 570-5473.

—David Lewellen