2023 Senior Advocate Awards

Bea Ann Melichar and husband, Al Ward are jointly receiving the Adult Resource Alliance first annual Yellowstone County Volunteer Elder Advocate Award. This award is intended to honor those who freely give of their time and talent as volunteers to improve the lives of our seniors.

Bea Ann explains why giving back to the community and senior advocacy is her passion:

“Having grown up in a small farming community in central Montana, I learned from my parents the importance of being involved in my community by listening, learning, and then taking action to improve my community and the lives of those living in it. Both of my parents were role models for me by their speaking out for others.”

“My passion is senior advocacy. I have testified at the state legislature, talked to local, state, and nationally elected officials about the importance of establishing, funding and continuing programs that were established to assist people as they age in our society. I have been involved in advocating for three successful county senior mill levies, finding two “forever homes” for the

Adult Resource Alliance, and assisting senior centers across the county.”

Bea Ann served as the Executive Director of the Adult Resource Alliance from 1988 to 2019. Retirement finds Bea Ann continuing her advocacy and volunteerism focusing on improving the quality of life for seniors in our community.

After a long career in law enforcement, Al Ward took a job with AARP where he established fraud prevention programs, as well as creating volunteer programs that helped seniors apply for public benefits helping them with the cost of health care. He then became the Outreach Director for the Montana office of AARP, working with state and federal agencies to pass legislation and provide training around fraud prevention and Medicare and Medicaid.

After retiring from AARP, Al spent six years on the executive council of Montana AARP, serving on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging.

In 2019, Al was appointed to the Eastern Montana Elder Justice Council where he served as chair of the Fraud Prevention Subcommittee which encouraged programs in fraud prevention in Eastern Montana.

Currently, Al serves on the North Central Montana Elder Justice Council where he presents fraud prevention awareness programs in Indian counties in Montana.

In Al’s words, “I have to say that one of the best things that’s happened to me since I moved to Montana was marrying my wife Bea Ann. We share a passion for supporting elder programs and focusing on ways to help keep seniors safe in our state.”