A Greene couple is helping to put the issues affecting Maine seniors front and center at the Legislature.

Anne and John White are retired from their careers, yet are busier than ever helping others. Anne, 68, was a financial analyst for TD Bank and spent a lot of her career in the Lewiston, Auburn and South Portland areas. John, 73, worked as a pipe designer at Bath Iron Works for about 27 years in the Engineering Department. He made 3D images of ships.

These days, Anne volunteers her time as a tax preparer through AARP Maine. And they both volunteer to support initiatives AARP Maine deems important to older Mainers.

The couple got involved after a former teacher old them about a local AARP meet-the-candidates night several years ago. They then started participating in AARP’s Tuesdays at the State House.

“Just being exposed to the legislative priorities gives you a feeling like you are contributing a little bit,” John said.

“We are learning a lot,” Anne added.

The Whites were recognized recently with AARP Maine’s 2025 Steadfast Advocate Award because of their strong and steady volunteer commitment to help better the lives of older people.

In their role as advocates at the Legislature, the couple wasn’t used to public speaking in the beginning, but did it for the people, said Noel Bonam, state director of AARP Maine.

Now three years later? “They do it very well,” he said recently.

The Whites are “consistent, dependable and are truly wonderful people” who volunteer time to help others, he noted.

At the state level the primary issues affecting older people include caregiving and utility rates. At the federal level it is Social Security and caregiving. Broadband access is also important especially in rural Maine, Anne White said.

Bonam said housing access, long-term care and consumer pricing are also being watched.

The Whites advocate for “anything that matters to older adults,” Bonam said.

Married 43 years and with two adult sons, the Whites acknowledged that caregiving is a major and complex concern for many older people. There are varying aspects to caregiving, John White said, from taking care of loves one to navigating day care options and finding medical supplies.

Adding to the challenge is the fact that more people want to age at home instead of going into a nursing home, he said.

The couple have several ways of preparing for their advocacy as issues arise and develop.

They attend monthly coffee meetings at the Auburn Recreation Center, where speakers discuss different matters.

They also go to AARP’s weekly Tuesdays at the State House meetings where, John White wrote in an email, “AARP staff may give us information on the issue or in some cases, have a legislator or sponsor of the bill speak to our group.”

“We also attend public discussions in the legislative committees where opponents and proponents of bills are given three minutes to testify concerning their view. On occasion we may also talk to committee members or our legislators about an issue. This is almost always done on Tuesdays, but on occasions we may attend on another day if a particular issue is being addressed.”

Another way they advocate is by testifying at committee hearings, particularly if the issue is a personal one for them or a family member, John White said.

“Another way is simply by showing up in our red shirts to show our interest and support of an issue,” Anne White said.

The couple said they both enjoy the advocacy work they do. Anne White said she particularly likes the social aspect of it. “I feel like I am helping people,” she said.

“We’ve made many new friends that have extended beyond TASH (Tuesdays at the State House). We also attend AARP monthly coffees with local speakers, a quarterly “On Tap” sponsored by AARP where we meet to socialize and are given a token for a free beverage, and some of us meet on a weekly Zoom trivia call,” she said.