Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Happy Everything!
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” ~H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Our office has been flooded with lovely cards, boxes of chocolates, and handwritten notes from clients and volunteers this holiday season. These thoughtful gestures remind us that the messages of love, happiness, compassion, and peace of this special time of year are ones that our volunteers work hard to instill in our programs every day. No carefully wrapped packages are necessary; they bring joy into the lives of seniors by giving the gift of their time.
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| Once again, 85-year-old Meyer Caplan sent us creative drawings and humorous quips of holiday cheer! |
Whatever your faith background, we wish you happy holidays from all of us at Senior Services’ Transportation Program! The holiday season is made much brighter by your resounding spirit of generosity.
Friday, December 19, 2014
Honoring a Legacy of Volunteer Driving
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| Deeon has provided countless rides over the years. |
The year is 1984. A gallon of gas costs $1.10; movie tickets are $2.50; and the average price of a new home is $86,000. Ghostbusters is the popular film of the day, and Miami Vice catches national interest as a captivating new crime drama series. Concurrently, Deeon Kuspert, a Renton resident, discovers the Volunteer Transportation as a meaningful to way to spend her time now that all of her children are in school.
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| Deeon receives her prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from Paula Houston (Senior Services' CEO) and Cindy Zwart (Transportation Program Director). |
Deeon was honored for her 30 years of service at the Transportation Program’s Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon in December 2014. She was presented with an impressive Lifetime Achievement Award signed by President Barack Obama, as well as a lovely car charm made by Tiffany & Co., in recognition of her sustained commitment to civic participation. She also received a standing ovation by all those in attendance, many of whom were so moved by the tribute that they had tears in their eyes.
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| The audience rises to its feet to applaud Deeon's years of service. |
Deeon is humble when asked about her volunteer experience. She reports that she was very surprised by the accolades presented to her in December, and that volunteering is just a way of life for her. She says, “I enjoy meeting all of the people I drive. They so appreciate the program.” She also gives credit to the Volunteer Transportation staff for making her volunteer work so effortless. She adds, “It’s such a well-run program, and it gets better all the time!”
A lot may have changed since 1984, but Deeon’s profound and positive impact remains the same. Service is clearly an integral of her identity, and she continues to touch lives with her kindness and generosity. Our community is a more humane and better place to live because of volunteers like Deeon.
Friday, December 12, 2014
2014 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
Our 2014 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon took place at the Golf Club at Newcastle on December 9. As usual, it was a lovely gathering of our wonderful volunteer drivers, filled to the brim with positive energy and gratitude.
Perhaps the best overview of the event can be found in the speech given by Cindy Zwart, Transportation Program Director. Her words reflect the true meaning of the festive occasion:
“...All of us in the Transportation Program look forward to this luncheon because it gives us the opportunity to personally thank our volunteer drivers for everything you’ve done the past year and also to recognize those drivers celebrating milestone anniversaries with the program. I know that most of you don’t expect any thanks for what you do, but it’s important to Senior Services to be able to let you know how much you mean to our program’s success.
People in the community are amazed not only when I tell them how many drivers we have volunteering for our program – we have 826 drivers on the books including volunteer drivers with our community partners – but people are also amazed how long our volunteers stay with the program. Today we will be recognizing drivers celebrating five years with our program, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, and one driver who has been driving with us for thirty years!”
Although not all of them were able to attend the luncheon, we'd like to congratulate the following volunteer drivers for reaching milestone anniversaries in 2014:
Cindy concluded her remarks with the following statement, "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: 'Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.'
And so all of us at Senior Services are grateful to be here today to thank you for your service to our agency, our clients and our community, for your grace and love in action.”
Let us remember these inspiring words throughout the year and keep them with us until next year's luncheon!
*Photo credit: Bryan Ilyankoff
- 5-year drivers: Nancy Gerard, Bob Roby, Sean Ward, Thomas Morio, Calvin Wang, Steve DeHaven, Donald Campbell, Fred Johnson, Meg Swimelar, Michael Schmidt, James Owen, Scott Eliason, Doris Jones, Rick Rice, Joyce Rice, Sara Croft, Claudia Sewell, Ronald Vandenberg, Carol Godding, Mary Ann Quinn, Susan Heffernan, Michael Lofstedt, Grant Colyer, Monique Ming Laven, Phil Coulson
- 10-year drivers: Diana Kordus, Margie Pasero, Richard Nikolaisen, Lynne McCaslin, Push Patel, Mary Paulson, Shaila Gadre, Joe Merrill, Ruth Mynar, Maria Joao Galvao, John Davis
- Douglas Matthews
- 15-year drivers: Tom Brown, Patsy Giboney, Bob Knudson
- 20-year driver: Dwight Binge
- 25-year drivers: Al Hillstrom, Kathe Kern, Jack Langlais
- 30-year driver: Deeon Kuspert (MORE ABOUT DEEON WILL BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING BLOG POST. Be on the lookout for it next week!)
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| 5-year drivers as they receive their Frango Chocolates |
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| 10-year drivers as they receive their certificates and Godiva chocolates* |
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| 15-year driver and "Shining Star" recipient, Patsy Giboney, with Senior Services' CEO, Paula Houston* |
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| 25-year drivers as they listen to Cindy's stories about their years of service and receive engraved Barone Crystal gifts* |
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The sun even came out to honor our volunteers and provide them with this spectacular view of Seattle off in the distance!
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And so all of us at Senior Services are grateful to be here today to thank you for your service to our agency, our clients and our community, for your grace and love in action.”
Let us remember these inspiring words throughout the year and keep them with us until next year's luncheon!
*Photo credit: Bryan Ilyankoff
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About Me
- Volunteer Transportation
- “Behind the Wheel” offers stories, reflections, news and updates about Sound Generations’ (formerly Senior Services') Transportation Program. Throughout King County, our inspiring volunteers provide needed mobility to local seniors, supporting them in their efforts to remain independent, healthy, and happy. Please drop by to read more about the unique experiences of our volunteers, clients and staff!