Laurabelle will be 98-years-old this October.  She walks without a cane or walker and lives in a condo in downtown Bellevue.   She said her doctor would not be surprised if she made it past 100 years old!  She says it has been an interesting life.  Her relatives came to the United States before we started keeping immigration records and fought in both the American Revolution and the Civil War.  Laurabelle moved here in 1945 because her husband grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and after WWII wanted to finish his education at the UW.  Laurabelle worked for the telephone company for 42 years.  Back then it was called Pacific Tel and Tel; it is now Century Link.

Her husband passed in 1994, and Laurabelle has been on her own ever since.  Like many other older adults, she takes pleasure in living independently and not burdening family members for transportation.  She loves to play bridge and until recently lunched with all of her old friends from the telephone company.  She drove herself up until a few years ago, but decided it was time to give it up when she lost her depth perception in one eye.  A long time friend and former volunteer driver told her about Senior Services’ Volunteer Transportation Program. 

We have now been assisting Laurabelle to her medical appointments for the last three years and she says, “This program has saved my life.” Laurabelle credits her ability to stay in her own home to Volunteer Transportation.  “If it was not for this program and seeing my doctors, I would probably be in a retirement center.  I could not survive in my own home without these volunteers.”  She says she will continue to utilize our program even after she turns 100. 

We recently posed the following question to our Des Moines Hyde Shuttle volunteer drivers: What is the best thing about driving the Hyde Shuttle?   

• Alan M. –  “Driving is a great thing!  Some of the most fun is just taking a client to visit a friend or go to the waterfront for the afternoon.”
• Tom M. –  "I so enjoy interacting with the seniors and their past experiences.  They are so thankful and show much appreciation for the Senior Services being provided to them.”
• Scott E. –  “I enjoy the feeling of be able to help those who need help. I enjoy the driving and connecting with our riders.”
• Tom E. –  
• “I enjoy getting to know some of the elderly and hearing their stories of life.”
• “I feel more appreciation for the little we do to make their lives easier than I ever did in all my years of work.”
• John M. –  “It makes me feel like I am making a difference and it gives me something to do with my time.”
• Jerry M. –
• “Driving for me is an obligation of my civic duty to help others who may not be able to help themselves.”
• “I enjoy the time, but I feel a strong responsibility as an able bodied adult to volunteer as long as I can.”
• Bonnie T. -  
• “I like hearing stories the seniors share from their past."
• "I like that our riders are so polite and appreciative of our service.”

Volunteer drivers often report a long laundry list of what they have gained from serving with our program: companionship, humility, a deeper understanding of the aging process, a newfound knowledge of local medical facilities, hope, joy, and PATIENCE!  Patience is a quality that is not innate in most of us.  As Eknath Easwarn writes, “Patience can't be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle.”

Volunteer driving is great “conditioning” for our patience muscles.   Our clients move slowly—sometimes painstakingly slowly.  We often have to repeat ourselves multiple times, as clients may not hear or understand what we’ve already said.  Appointments can take longer than expected.  We often feel like we’re waiting and waiting and waiting.

But, as we learn to slow things down a few notches, we transform from impatient, irritated, over-stimulated modern adults to icons of mindfulness, serenity, and fortitude.  Fulton Sheen reminds us that “patience is power.”

So, as we inch along and feel as though the world is on “pause” (or “repeat”) with the senior clients of our program, let us remember that this is not a burden.  Rather, it is a gift!  Just like successful athletes, we are training for the important challenges of life.

Many of us describe the act of volunteering as a way of “giving back” to our community.  Helping others reminds us of the idea that we’re “all in this together,” and that we are all a part of a larger web of interdependence.  Within this integrated framework, at times, we are the ones reaching out to help others; at other times, we are the ones reaching out for help in moments of vulnerability.

Several members of our Volunteer Transportation community are evidence of this fact.  There are drivers who have become clients and clients who have become drivers within our team.  Their role reversals have helped them to gain a greater understanding of our program from multiple perspectives.

Georgette C. was once a volunteer driver and is now a regular client.  She says, “I have been on both sides of the program… When I was a driver, I could see how appreciative the riders were.  They were always so grateful, and they made me want to be there.   And now I appreciate all of my volunteer drivers!  I need the program so badly now.  I adore the program.  I enjoyed driving, and now I enjoy being a rider.” 

Georgette reports that she was not surprised when she eventually had to give up volunteering to become a client herself.  She explains, “I was so sorry I couldn’t keep up driving anymore, but I always knew I would become a rider.  I felt as though I were ‘paying’ as a driver, yet I would be ‘collecting’ later down the road.” 

Peter O. recently made the opposite switch.  He explains, “I required a colonoscopy and needed a ride to Bellevue last March.  My driver was a very pleasant young woman, who called ahead, arrived on time, and waited while I had the procedure.  I was impressed!”  He was so impressed that he “felt it was time to pay back” and soon submitted an online application to become a volunteer driver.  He has given many rides thus far and says, “Each of them has been a positive experience.”

Pat P. has a similar story and notes, “I originally used VT after a bilateral knee replacement.  I needed help in getting to my appointments as I live alone and family were busy with their careers and personal activities, so this was definitely a godsend.  … I’ve now been a volunteer driver for 7 years and love most of my drives.  I meet incredible people...”

Some call it karma; others call it “paying it forward” or “paying it back;” others call it a civic duty.  Whatever we choose to call this phenomenon, it is clear that we all participate in becoming mutually indebted to one another-- whether as a client or as a driver (or both).  We all work together for the common good.

In February, we published a cheesy poem honoring our Volunteer Transportation drivers.  We feel that it is now time to do the same for the amazing volunteers and staff of the Hyde Shuttle program.

Here is our "Ode to Hyde Shuttles" (from a client perspective):

I was unable to get out and about on my own,
and I grew tired and bored at home all alone.
I wistfully dreamed of a way to break free
from the same four walls constantly surrounding me.

I was then informed of a shuttle called Hyde
that I could use if I ever needed a ride.
The van would pick me up at my home
and take me anywhere I wanted to go.

Registration was just a phone call away,
so I called to get started the very next day.
It was so easy to sign-up it was hard to believe;
I felt like there wasn’t anything I couldn’t achieve!

The shuttle came to pick me up at my front door,
and, just like that, I had a whole new world to explore.
I was able to go to the Senior Center, doctor’s, and store—
as well as the beauty parlor, a friend’s home, library, and more.

I felt very alive, empowered, and carefree;
there was so much more to do than just watch TV!
I’m no longer painfully limited in what I can do;
there are many new hobbies and activities to pursue.

The drivers are all courteous and as nice as can be;
they really strive to take good care of me.
They gingerly help me get into the van with care
and don’t mind that I need to stay in my wheelchair.

It’s hard to know how to effectively convey
all of the gratitude and positive things I want to say,
but I hope that ending with this statement will do:
Hyde Shuttle team, I truly appreciate you!

 We are fortunate enough to receive many thoughtful, heartfelt, hand-written messages from clients and family members who have benefited from our services, and we'd like to share one of them with you for this week's post.  It reads:

To Jacob and all the volunteer drivers,

Thank you all so much for providing my mother rides to her clinic in downtown Seattle the last couple of weeks.  She so enjoyed meeting the drivers that volunteered to drive her to her daily appointments, the kindness of each person, and their promptness to get her there on time.  We appreciate your service.

Thanks again for everything! :)

Carol & Louanne


We are glad to have helped Louanne with her treatment and agree that we have the kindest, promptest volunteers around!!

"Geraldine’s daughter called the Hyde Shuttle client line and asked us to schedule her mother to come for lunch at the River Rock restaurant. I knew the rider and knew that she didn’t go to that restaurant , so I wanted to clarify that she wasn’t going to the Senior Center…  I then learned that the daughter was throwing her a surprise 99th birthday party!!  She had invited her past neighbors and coworkers from the community, including many Rotarians and other nonprofit friends with whom she’d worked.  Geraldine uses a wheelchair and rides on our shuttle because she can comfortably travel without having to transfer in and out of the car…PLUS…her daughter was trying to keep this all secret!  I was able to accommodate the request and hope that they had a memorable and enjoyable celebration.”