Frank Furnari
For the second year in a row, a Carson City resident has won AARP Nevada's Andrus Award for Community Service, the association's most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service.
Frank Furnari, who volunteers with AARP's Tax-Aide program, is this year's honoree. The award is given to individuals that embody the mission and vision of AARP founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, using their time and energy to make a difference in the lives of others.
"Every organization has a nucleus of individuals who really care," said Gil Yanuck, Northern Nevada Tax-Aide coordinator and last year's Andrus Award winner. "These people never wait to be asked when a challenge develops; they just pitch in and get it done. Frank is that person for Tax-Aide in Northern Nevada."
Furnari has volunteered as a local coordinator with the AARP Tax-Aide program, managing the Carson City Senior Center site for seven years. Frank and his Tax-Aide volunteers assisted more than 900 taxpayers at the senior center last year.
In addition to his work for AARP's Tax-Aide program, Frank also volunteers as a computer lab coordinator and instructor at the Carson City Senior Center and provides support for the Children's Museum and is an active member of the local Elks Lodge.
"If Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus were alive today; she would agree that Frank epitomizes the characteristics that she would want to see in every AARP volunteer," said Maria Dent, AARP Nevada's director of community outreach.