Cross-Cultural Solutions to Attend National AARP Event and Expo

Cross-Cultural Solutions (CCS) will attend the annual AARP National Event & Expo, “Vegas@50+,” from Thursday, October 22nd to Saturday, October 24th to share information about volunteering abroad with the nation’s largest membership organization for people over 50.

International volunteering is on the rise among 50-plus participants — the number of 50-plus CCS volunteers has more than doubled since 2005. To help promote this trend, CCS is offering the Grand Prize in the 2009 AARP Create the Good Contest which event attendees can enter. The winner will receive a voucher for two, good for flight arrangements and a one-week CCS volunteer program in Costa Rica.

CCS will be a part of the “Volunteering Abroad: Explore, Serve, and Learn” workshop scheduled for Thursday, October 22nd. Marilyn Grist, CCS alumna and a former Senior Vice President of CARE USA, will represent CCS on the workshop panel. Grist, who participated on a CCS volunteer program in Brazil, will be joined by James Fry and Brian Melman in a conversation about volunteering abroad moderated by Emmy Award-winning travel writer Peter Greenberg.

CCS will also be available throughout the entire event in the AARP Exhibit Hall — Government & Non-Profit Pavilion, at booth 457, next to VolunteerMatch. Visitors to the CCS booth will be able to meet former CCS participants, including current staff member Quinn Sidon, and find bookmarks, fact sheets, and other informative materials on volunteering abroad after 50. The Exhibit Hall will be open each day of the expo until 5 or 5:30 p.m.

The event, to be held at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, will include workshop sessions, exhibits, tours, and concerts. Feature speakers include Maya Angelou, Erving “Magic” Johnson, Al Roker, Jane Seymour, Steve Guttenberg, and more. Attendees may also enjoy concerts from Gloria Estefan, Faith Hill, The Duke Ellington Orchestra, Tito Puente, Jr., and Kool & The Gang. Registration for the event is still open, and costs $25 for AARP members, and $35 for friends and family.

Founded in 1958, AARP is now approximately 40 million members strong. The nonprofit and nonpartisan membership organization aims to help people over 50 years old to improve the quality of their lives.