City native receives AARP Pennsylvania volunteer award
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Blair County native Bill Campbell of Pittsburgh has been selected by AARP, the nonprofit organization for people 50 and older, to receive the 2020 AARP Pennsylvania Andrus Award for Community Service -- the association's most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service.
Named for AARP founder Ethel Percy Andrus, the award recognizes outstanding individuals who are making their communities better in ways that are consistent with AARP's mission, vision and commitment to volunteer service, and who inspire others to volunteer.
Andrus' motto, "To serve, not to be served," has shaped AARP's community service efforts at all levels.
It also summarizes Campbell's life of giving not just in his adopted home but also here from the time he was growing up in Altoona, according to neighbors and friends at Juniata United Methodist Church, where he has served in various capacities through the decades. While Campbell's legal residence is Pittsburgh, he really hasn't left Altoona, as he commutes back to the family homestead, a trek he has made since 1954 to serve as Sunday school teacher, head usher and financial secretary at Juniata United Methodist Church.
Neighbor and friend Tom Foose, 83, of Altoona described Campbell as "a first-class guy. He has always cared for others, no question about it. He puts other people first."
He is known for giving younger neighborhood kids some silver to buy treats when Campbell himself was a teenager, to taking Foose and others to experience the student section at Penn State University football games and helping college students with their commute.
While a student at Indiana Teachers College, Foose relied on Campbell for a ride to and from Indiana.
"He would take me back Sunday nights and usually there would be a carload of local girls headed back to nursing school at West Penn Hospital," Foose recalled. Foose went on to become a longtime principal at Keith and Logan junior high schools in the
Altoona Area School District.
"The students were always grateful for the rides," Campbell said, noting he would help students from Pitt, Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne and Point Park.
"I don't know how they would find me. I never asked," he said.
Foose and Campbell remain friends through their membership at Juniata United Methodist.
"Bill's always the first one there and the last to leave. He never misses a Sunday, and we talk about what's going on with Penn State, the Pirates and the Steelers," Foose said.
Donna Gutshall serves as co-chair of the finance committee at Juniata United Methodist and has known Campbell for more than 10 years. The generosity Campbell demonstrated in his neighborhood decades ago and by giving rides to college students, remains strong, she said. Both she and Foose commend Campbell for freely sharing his time and treasure to help the church.
"I marvel at the knowledge base (Campbell) has and how willingly he helps others," Gutshall said. "Bill has a knack of making the complex simple and easy to understand. JUMC is blessed to have this man as our 'go-to' financial guru. It does not surprise me that he is being recognized for his volunteering and his giving of and sharing his expertise with others. Bill exemplifies the 'good and faithful servant.'"
The AARP award was formally presented to Campbell at a virtual event attended by AARP volunteers statewide. Andrus Award winners are nominated by their peers and the award recipient is chosen by a special committee of AARP Pennsylvania volunteers and community partners.
"It's very special because it is from my peers," Campbell said.
He started helping students in his Sunday school class complete their tax returns years ago, a task he continues for many of them decades later. So, when he saw an AARP volunteer recruitment billboard for its tax aide program more than 35 years ago, he signed up.
Campbell has served ever since, including spending the last 20 years as regional coordinator for Allegheny and Washington counties. He's trained more than 900 volunteers to help provide free tax assistance to low income and older adults, according to a news release. For many years, he co-chaired the AARP Allegheny County volunteer team that includes community service volunteers and representatives from local AARP chapters.
"In all the classes that I've taught, I always start out by telling them that we are here to serve the taxpayer. We are all volunteers, and we don't look for any honors like this one I've gotten. We get our rewards by serving people who need our service," Campbell said. He estimates he's helped complete 3,500 returns -- the majority using pencil and carbon paper. "I've been the last hold out," he said, as returns went digital.
For a decade, Campbell has been the AARP representative to the annual North Hills Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast event that awards a scholarship to a student who emulates King's values.
"This award acts as a symbol to the public that we can all work together for positive social change," said AARP Pennsylvania Volunteer State President Joanne Grossi. "Bill Campbell is a true role model and inspiration for so many volunteers throughout western Pennsylvania, making him a particularly worthy recipient of this award."
At Juniata United Methodist Church, the Rev. Julia Piper described Campbell as "very intelligent, faithful, humble, generous and kind. He follows the greatest commandment that Jesus gives us, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself,'" she said.
"Bill is one of the most humble people I know," Piper said. "He serves God and humankind with a joy that flows from his heart. He faithfully cares for our financial records while paying attention to every detail. He also does home visits and serves Holy Communion. He carries out these ministries without desiring recognition or attention."
Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 814-949-7030.