AARP taking Joy in growth; President accepts leadership reins.

Byline: Anna L. Griffin

LEOMINSTER - When William Joy walked in to the AARP meeting of Leominster Chapter 4825 at the Leominster Senior Center, he was looking only for ticket information for a trip the group was offering.

"I had been in the organization before, but really didn't have the time to attend many meetings because I was taking care of my wife, Terry, who had ALS," Mr. Joy said.

His wife died last year after a more than seven-year illness. "I thought I would go back to the group - ease into the activities," he said.

He was, instead, offered a different type of ticket.

"They asked me if I was interested in becoming president of the group," Mr. Joy said. "I said, let me think about this. I hadn't even put the sugar in the cup of coffee I had grabbed on the way into the meeting."

By January 2007, he was president of the group.

"I was really the only one who had to be convinced," Mr. Joy said, looking over the experience. "It was just one of those things."

Mr. Joy said he had leadership experience in his past. "The more I thought about it, the more gung-ho I became.

"Why not?" Why not try to get involved and make a difference with this group."

Since taking the helm as president, Mr. Joy said, the group has experienced a great deal of growth.

"We have a good group on board. As far as the directors go, they want to see this group succeed. They want us to move forward, to expand," he said.

Membership is up and so is participation. "I think people today are looking for something that will be meaningful to their lives," Mr. Joy said. "And that's what the purpose of our organization is - it's something I say at every meeting - the purpose of our organization is to serve, not to be served."

As part of this philosophy, the chapter has undertaken food drives at every meeting. "Bring a can, or a couple of cans and place it in the basket. Or if you can't, you can throw a dollar or two and we'll do the rest," he said.

"Information is also a key component of our programs," Mr. Joy said. "The AARP has access to a great deal of information, banks of experts, so on and so forth. If someone has a question, come to the meeting. We might not have the answer right then and there, but we will get it to you as soon as possible."

Chapter meetings are held the second Thursday of each month starting at 1 p.m. at the Leominster Senior Center, 5 Pond St. Mr. Joy said the chapter has members from many different communities. "We even have a member from Sutton," he said. The Leominster chapter is one of five in Worcester county; the others being in Athol, Gardner, Worcester and Spencer.

"People who are interested can just stop by a meeting and check us out," Mr. Joy said. "They don't have to worry about being asked to be president. That job is taken."