“SO DEPENDABLE.  THE PEOPLE I DEALT WITH WERE ALWAYS SO NICE, BOTH OVER THE PHONE AND IN PERSON.  I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP.  IT HAS MEANT A LOT TO ME.  YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!  HOW IN THIS WORLD COULD I NOT RECOMMEND YOU TO OTHERS??!!”

“I love all of you and am very grateful for your service.”

“Thanks so much & I hope the service lasts forever.”

“I’ve had nothing but great experiences.  I am so grateful & I spread the word to people who are thrilled to hear about it.  Before I was not able to see Dr’s that I really needed to.  I am so happy.”

“I’m so proud of you at Transportation.  May God always bless you.”

“I feel that the volunteers are among the nicest, most helpful people that I know.  Thank you all very much.  You make my life better.”

“I have no family here as they moved to the East coast 2 years ago, and many of my friends no longer drive.  I don’t like to impose on friends either and take up their time.  I don’t think I could continue to live here without Volunteer Transportation.”

“Thank God there are people out there who help other people.”

“Volunteer Transportation is my hero, NO ONE is better!”

We'd like introduce you to our newest staff member, Kailan Tyler-Babkirk.  Kailan joined the Volunteer Transportation program as the South King County Coordinator last week, and we feel very fortunate to have her as a part of our team!

A Washingtonian through and through, Kailan was born in Seattle, grew up in Spokane, and spent the last several years living in Olympia-- where she graduated from The Evergreen State College with a BA in psychology and expressive arts.  She then worked in a retirement home as a receptionist and activities assistant where she led exercise classes, arts and crafts activities, and scheduled medical transportation. She has a passion for providing meaningful services to seniors and is thrilled to be part of Senior Services with their mission to promote the emotional, social, and physical well-being of aging adults.

In her spare time, Kailan loves painting, sewing, dancing, and hiking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Recently, she has taken up the hobby of birding and looks forward to expanding her knowledge of NW birds. She is a member of the Seattle Joy Initiative and Compassionate Seattle and enjoys bringing a smile wherever she goes.

Kailan can be reached at kailant@seniorservices.org.

The Volunteer Transportation program has over 400 volunteer drivers throughout King County, and we put forth our best efforts to ensure that they are all satisfied and well-supported as they provide valuable rides for King County seniors.  Our talented Transportation Coordinators have skillfully perfected the art of working with each volunteer individually, taking into account his/her abilities, preferences, and interests.  This may seem overwhelming to those of us indirectly involved with the coordinating process, but they make it look easy.

The extra attention that they place on honoring each driver’s changing realities is what makes this volunteer role such a great fit for so many people.  One current volunteer driver recently shared the following with us in an email, “As soon as I read about your program, I felt like it would be a perfect fit. One of the reasons it is so cool is because you are so accommodating to the drivers' needs. Now if all ‘bosses’ were like that, people would sure like their jobs a lot more!” 

Thus, Volunteer Transportation is not a ‘one size fits all’ volunteer opportunity.   We recognize that each driver is different, and his/her life is constantly evolving.   Flexibility is our key to success.  If you know someone who would value this type of fluid volunteer work, please send him/her our way!  We are always in need of more drivers, and our careful Transportation Coordinators would be happy to work with each new volunteer’s unique life circumstances.