AARP recognizes Dr. Braun with Andrus Award

Hernando County resident Dr. Beatrice "Bea" Braun has been selected by AARP to receive Florida's 2009 AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, the association's most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service.
The award will be formally presented to Dr. Braun at a ceremony from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, in the Fellowship Hall of Spring Hill United Church of Christ located at 4244 Mariner Blvd. Braun's service to others includes international work, service at high levels of government, and landmark service to her community and Florida.
AARP Florida selected Braun for her remarkable service and for the impact she's had on the lives of others and on her community. The AARP Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes members and volunteers who, through volunteer service, are significantly enhancing the lives of individuals age 50 and over.
Dr. Braun became a Maryknoll Catholic nun at Manhattanville College, graduating in 1944. She received her medical degree from Marquette College (today Marquette University) in 1949. At the outbreak of the Korean War, at the request of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Dr. Braun and five other Maryknoll sisters went to Korea to assist Korean civilians suffering from the scourge of war. After 17 years in Korea, she returned to the United States and, with the permission of the Pope, married Richard "Dick" Braun. She worked in the field of psychiatry in New York for many years, retiring with her husband to Spring Hill in 1989.
After eight years of activities in Washington, D.C., Braun moved to Spring Hill and rejoined Serving Health Needs of Elders, a program she helped create, as a volunteer. Braun later became Hernando County's local SHINE coordinator and has recruited close to a dozen Hernando County SHINE volunteers. In addition, she volunteers her time as a psychiatrist two days a week at the Health Department in Brooksville.
The Andrus award is named for the founder of AARP, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, who said that the highest purpose of life for those 50-plus was "to serve, not to be served." For more information, visit http://www.aarp.org/makeadifference/volunteer/articles/2009_andrus_awards_community_volunteers_honored.html