Pictured, from left: Sara Martin, TN SHIP Regional Manager; Loni Hitchcock, TN SMP Project Coordinator; Evelyne Kornreich; and Kelly Clarkson, UC AAAD Assistant Director.
The Upper Cumberland Area Agency on Aging & Disability (AAAD) is proud to announce that long-time volunteer Evelyne Kornreich has been named the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Volunteer in Aging Award by the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging (SE4A).
This prestigious regional award places Kornreich at the top of volunteer programs across nine Southeastern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
A dedicated resident of Crossville, Tennessee, Evelyne has spent the past 15 years providing exceptional advocacy and service to older adults across the Upper Cumberland region. Since joining the Tennessee State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) in 2011, she has maintained unbroken service, dedicating hundreds of hours each year to protecting local Medicare beneficiaries.
In 2025 alone, Evelyne devoted more than 208 hours to one-on-one Medicare counseling, directly helping over 300 individual beneficiaries and their families navigate complex health insurance plans, lower prescription costs, and resolve billing issues. Her fluency in both English and French allows her to break down difficult language barriers, offering culturally competent insurance counseling to a diverse population.
Beyond individual counseling, Evelyne leads Medicare education workshops and fraud prevention efforts through regional library systems and residential programs. Drawing on her background as a retired assistant principal, she also serves as a trusted mentor to fellow volunteers, guiding new team members through complex guidelines with patience and expertise. Her extensive involvement also extends to the Public Guardianship Program, Fairfield Glade Resident Services, the Neighborhood Watch Committee, and local arts initiatives.
“Evelyne’s master-level problem-solving, steady presence, and extraordinary commitment over 15 continuous years make her truly deserving of this regional honor,” said Sara Martin, Regional TN SHIP Manager at the Upper Cumberland AAAD. “She elevates the work of our entire team and improves the lives of hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries and their families every single year.”
