About
Joining your local chapter will bring you friendships, camaraderie, and making a difference in your neighborhood!
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Chapter #3976 restarted in March 2022, and we're growing into our shoes with a new direction, website, and re-energized determination! We're looking for people who want a chance to spend time with friends, develop new friends, and contribute to our chapter's efforts as we serve our community, creating learning and social opportunities as we age with dignity. Innovation keeps us all on our well-worn toes, and your ideas count!
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Being a member of the National AARP organization will provide valuable resources, discounts, information, and product awareness relative to seniors.
Meet our Board of Directors
Board of Directors 2023 Officers
President - Peggy Gutman
Vice President - Connie Speer
Treasurer - Joel Gutman
Secretary - Ines Ortiz
Director-at-large - Angela Boles-Perry
Peggy Gutman
President ~ 2023-2025
Peggy grew up in Columbus, Ohio and moved to Chicago at age 19 where she attended University of Illinois Medical Center, obtaining a BSN degree. She married Joel and raised four children in Chicago. While living in this vibrant city, she explored the museums and parks and worked in three Chicago hospitals in Occupational Health Nursing roles.
In 2012, Peggy retired and turned her interests to home and family. She now has eight grandchildren, living in three states. In 2015 Joel retired and they moved to Cary, NC. As renters, they believed they lived in Morrisville because of their address, but nearly six months later learned how intertwined Cary and Morrisville can be! They loved their town home complex and having time to enjoy friends and family. Three of their grandchildren now also live in Cary. They are happy to have both mountains and ocean near enough to visit often, and enjoy visiting towns all across this beautiful state.
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Peggy enjoys attending community events, music festivals, fairs and other outdoor activities as often as possible. She recently became a part-time staff member at the Morrisville Senior Center and has been able to meet many people and expand her community! In 2019, Peggy was invited to join Cary Area AARP and has served as Program Chair through 2022. In 2023 she proudly became President for the 2023-2024 term.
Connie Speer
Vice President
Connie was born in Roanoke, VA and raised in the Southwest Virginia area. While attending Radford University, Connie’s roommate introduced her to Brian, now her husband of 55+ years. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a BLS in Business Administration.
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Connie and Brian raised their children, Kelly and Kirk, in Fredericksburg, VA. They relocated to Morrisville, NC in 2001 to be closer to family. They joined Genesis United Methodist Church in Cary, NC in 2001 and have been active members since then. Before retiring, Connie enjoyed a retail management career, including store management positions at House of Fine Fabrics and David’s Bridal and district management positions at Casual Corner and Hallmark Corporate Stores Division. She also served on the BOE as a poll worker beginning in 2016.
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Connie enjoys Tai Chi, hiking the Hatcher Creek Greenways with Brian and their two grand-dogs, Cocoa and Luna and attending Morrisville Senior Center LICI classes.
Since retirement, Connie and Brian have enjoyed visiting with their three grandchildren, attending classes at the Cary Senior Center, crafting / photography / sewing and loves cooking and baking, preserving old family recipes.
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Connie joined the National AARP in1994 and the AARP Cary Area Chapter #3976 in 2022. She volunteered to assist Treasurer, Dave Gardener, during the fall of 2022. She was elected as Vice President for 2023 and looks forward to assisting Chapter #3976 in service and activities in the upcoming year.
Joel Gutman
Treasurer ~ 2023-2025
Joel was born and raised in Skokie, Illinois and is a 1973 graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in Finance. He worked several jobs, and eventually became a Real Estate Appraiser and a Security Team member at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. Peggy was a single mom raising two small boys when he met her in 1975. They married in 1981, had two girls, and spent the next 30 years in Chicago.
In 2015, Joel retired and he and Peggy moved to North Carolina. They originally planned to live in Asheville, but changed their plans to Cary when their daughter moved here also. They enjoy the weather, bike rides on the Greenway, sometimes bringing the grandsons along, and watching their grandsons' soccer games. They love to travel to the mountains and the beach, and having friends over for card games or just to socialize.
Joel joined AARP chapter#3976 in 2019 and was asked to serve as Vice-President. He served through 2022 in this role, and as of 2023 has become Treasurer.
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Come and join Joel at a meeting!
Ines Ortiz
Secretary
I moved to Cary, NC, in 2008. Before this move, I lived and worked in New Jersey, where I attended Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, and graduated with a B.S. in Accounting. I worked for a pharmaceutical company as a senior accountant in the trust funds department and a community college as a grants accountant. Once in N.C., I worked for Duke University as a Grants Administrator.
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Now that I am retired, I enjoy reading, traveling, yoga, regular exercise, walking my dog, line dancing, and doing nothing. Yes, I had to train myself to enjoy “doing nothing.”
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I live with my husband, grandson, and my dog Joy.
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Angela Boles Perry
Director-at-large
Angela Boles Perry is married to Lester E. Perry and has one adult daughter. She graduated from Savannah State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, was recruited from college by IBM and began work in Poughkeepsie, NY. Angela believes education is the key to success and has worked to maintain excellence in the classroom and service to her community.
Angela is a member of the Cary, NC AARP Chapter. She has participated in many activities and held many leadership and officer positions. She's a former Sunday school teacher and former Precinct Coordinator and Supervisor for Wake County early voting. Once a month, Angela played Bingo and sang songs with members at the Cary Total Life Center. She visited Chatham Nursing Home monthly with a volunteer group from White Plains United Methodist Church to sing Christian hymns with the residents. She also enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels until her health no longer allowed her to do so. Now Angela enjoys walking around the lake for exercise and playing board and card games.
Angela is a member of Savannah State University Raleigh Durham Alumni Chapter and presently holds the position of Chaplin. She's a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Cary, and attends Bible Study Fellowship classes with their Bible Base Book Club. Angela loves the Lord and knows that, "all things are possible through Christ Jesus, who strengthens me."