DATE: Thursday, March 6, 1997               TAG: 9703060304

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   41 lines

LYNNHAVEN MALL GIVES AARP FREE SPACE FOR BEACH CENTER

The gigantic Mall of America in Minneapolis-St. Paul recently donated a store to the American Association of Retired Persons to use as an information center.

AARP volunteers man the store during mall hours to answer questions about the non-profit organization, assist seniors with finding services and pass out literature.

While the same generosity hasn't been exhibited in Hampton Roads, the AARP has found a free spot at Lynnhaven Mall for its new Virginia Beach Information Center. AARP district coordinator Gordon Morton said this center, which will be open Friday and Saturday, is the only one of its kind in the state.

``The AARP has been pushing us to get one in Virginia Beach because we're the strongest in the whole state,'' Morton said. ``But out of 25,000 members here, only 3,000 belong to the local chapters. The people don't know the chapters are there.''

The AARP Information Center will have the latest information on a range of subjects including health care, financial security, tax assistance, consumer affairs and support groups.

But Morton emphasized that the center will not be just an excuse to pass out literature. A television will continuously play an AARP informational video, and seniors will be referred to the appropriate places for services. For now, the center will only be located in Lynnhaven Mall, but ideally Morton would like to see it rotate between all of the malls in Hampton Roads.

``We're doing this on a trial basis,'' he said. ``We would like to get to the point of getting the Norfolk and Chesapeake chapters to do this in their malls. The only problem is getting people to man the booths. Everyone is so busy.'' MEMO: The AARP Information Center, by JC Penney in Lynnhaven Mall,

will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday. For more information on AARP or the center, call Gordon Morton

at 420-1788.

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