Still she was discouraged: She didn't like the work at all, and was ready to give up on the temp agency altogether. But Jacquie puts her all into everything she does, so she got offered an assignment fairly quickly. She was able to connect with a temp agency, something she counted on only as a stopgap. “All those little things helped propel me to where I am now,” she says. She learned to “embrace the little things”: fine-tuning her résumé, becoming more active on LinkedIn, doing mock interviews, networking. She signed up for a BTW50+ workshop but wasn't hopeful, figuring, “I'm just a number to them.” Then she met Sherri Chrisman, a job search coach, who “changed my perspective on the whole program.” Jacquie Johnson, BACK TO WORK 50+ participant
![aarp tetris aarp tetris](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d9/5d/9e/d95d9eba8c28266e258926571098d45e.png)
While attending a program that offered computer classes, she heard about a program being offered by AARP Foundation through the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership: BACK TO WORK 50+. She tried to find work on her own but couldn't get any interviews. It was tough going, even in the days before COVID. Then it was back to her home in Chicago in early 2020, and the search for a new job began. Jacquie was away from her home, relying on savings and family support for almost a year and a half, until her mother died. Her personal savings, she says, “not only allowed me to eliminate the stress of relocating, but also allowed my mother to not feel guilty about me leaving Chicago to come and take care of her.” Having previously experienced a layoff, Jacquie had learned to put money aside for an emergency, and this certainly qualified. Jacquie was working as a supervisor of environmental services at a major hospital in Indiana when she made the difficult decision to resign her position so she could help take care of her ailing mother in Oklahoma, who had chronic kidney failure and had developed dementia. I could not be more thankful for your support this year. The life they deserve.ĪARP Foundation was only able to achieve so much because of your generosity, your belief in our mission and in our work. To provide the knowledge, tools and support that struggling seniors need to build their way to a happier, more hopeful life. Our response to the coronavirus pandemic is proof that AARP Foundation will be there during a crisis, but the real focus of our work is changing the circumstances that make people vulnerable in the first place. While our programs were paused for the safety of participants and volunteers, we nevertheless served nearly 3 million people, continuing to help them earn income, train for good jobs, avoid food insecurity, secure well-deserved pension benefits and tax refunds - more than $1 billion - prevent social isolation and gain access to justice. With the generous and unwavering support of our donors, and the tenacity and commitment of our volunteers and staff, AARP Foundation found ways to give older adults living on the precipice a fighting chance not just to survive - but to thrive. Many of our fundraising programs had their most successful year ever. Even as the pandemic devastated our economy, our fundraising efforts flourished, with many new funders and stalwart supporters recognizing the tremendous need of the most vulnerable older adults. Yet just as surely as the winter yields to spring, there is much cause for hope. In this pandemic, we may be in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat. The financial struggle was only matched by the life-threatening isolation so many older adults faced either at home or in long-term care settings. And many more struggled to put food on the table.
![aarp tetris aarp tetris](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EE-SM6fXoAARPyJ.jpg)
Many worried they might lose their homes. During the pandemic, millions struggled financially as they lost jobs or income.
![aarp tetris aarp tetris](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ee/4a/d8/ee4ad87578cca76daed4bdf269993910.jpg)
When COVID-19 hit, older adults who were already at risk experienced further hardship.