Ms. Betty Caldwell retired in 1994 after 30 years of service in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education where she served as secretary to the Board of Education's top administrators. She was employed at Central Piedmont Community College as a part-time secretary in 1996, and resigned in 2003 to become her mother's caregiver. Her mother passed away in February 2007. In addition to being a caregiver, she has been active in her community having been a founding member of the Huntersville Chapter of Helping Empower Local People (HELP) a local community development association. She was also named Volunteer of the Year for 2005-2006 for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Teacher's Association.
Rev. Henry Edmonds is the recently retired pastor of Eternal Life Baptist Church of Durham, North Carolina, a church he founded in 1999. He is currently the coordinator of the African-American Community Outreach Program at the Kathleen Bryan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Duke University Medical Center where he facilitates the transfer of information between the Center and the community. His goal is to increase inclusiveness in research and enhance community awareness of Alzheimer's disease and resources available in the African American community.
Dr. Kenneth Garrison has both a masters and doctorate in education from the University of Pittsburgh and he identifies his life work as that of assisting the academic community and indigenous communities to engage in cooperative ventures that effectively serve both entities. He is currently enrolled in the Gerontology Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he plans to receive a Gerontology Certificate. He says "as the oldest (most experienced) student in my classes, I am often able to relate to many of the aging issues from a first person perspective." Dr. Garrison is interested in developing a program of volunteers who can teach mathematics and social skills to elementary aged children using the "Experience Corps" model.
Mr. Alfred Keyes is a retired Lt. Colonel from the United States Army where he served for 22 years. After retirement from the military he worked for General Motors for another 13 years. He and his wife currently live in Jacksonville, North Carolina where they both are active volunteers in a variety of aging and civic roles. Mr. Keyes is currently chair of the Onslow County Nursing Home Advisory Committee and is an active local and state volunteer with AARP. He won the 2004 Sarah Jo Jackson award for excellence as a community advisory committee volunteer and was selected in 2005 as AARP Local Volunteer of the Year.
Mr. Aaron McKeithan, Jr. is a retired Emergency Room Technician and identifies himself as a "Professional Volunteer" from 1978 to the present time. He also lists his career objective: "to serve mankind, to give back, utilizing skills and knowledge acquired through life's travel." Mr. McKeithan has been active in senior and neighborhood issues in Mecklenburg County where he has served with distinction on numerous boards and committees advocating for the best interests of seniors across the county. He most recently served as chair of the Mecklenburg County Council on Aging Board of Directors where he was actively involved in a merger of the Council on Aging, the Status of Seniors Initiative, and the Executive Board of Mecklenburg County to create the Mecklenburg County Center for Aging.
Dr. Jeane Suddarth is a licensed family counselor with a rich background in research and practice involving women's issues, family, spirituality, caregiving and continuing education. In her professional career, Dr. Suddarth has designed many continuing education courses and has packaged several workbooks based on her work with families. Experiences with her husband during his recent illness and stays in the Veteran's hospital and follow-up in a nursing home reinforced her need to learn and understand everything she could about aging. This past year she and her husband were appointed by the Orange County Commissioners to serve on a committee to update the Orange County Master Aging Plan.
