Claire

Claire McDaniel joined the Volunteer Transportation staff on July 21st as the program’s intrepid Administrative Assistant. She is very busy learning all of the intricate behind-the-scenes work necessary to make our program the well-oiled machine it is today!

After 20 years in Seattle as an administrative professional in the corporate world, Claire was ready to make the move to a nonprofit where she can do more meaningful work. Senior Services was just what she was looking for! Before joining us, her most fulfilling position was the four years she spent at Seattle Housing Authority as Executive Assistant to the Director of Communications. Claire saw how much low income housing residents appreciated the opportunity to live in safe, affordable and comfortable communities. While studying Sociology at San Jose State University, she learned not only about how society shapes each of us, but also how individuals can shape society. We are all connected; therefore, lending a helping hand to even one of us benefits us all.

Ophelia

In her spare time, Claire enjoys hanging out at home in Ballard with her adorable Calico cat, Ophelia. Her favorite neighborhood spot is the botanical garden at the Locks, where she can sit under a tree and listen to the birds. Another of her interests is traveling, especially trips to New Orleans, Louisiana and Paris, France. She loves to read on her Kindle, too. Lately, she has been making her way through the 10 book series about Detective Kurt Wallander by Swedish author, Henning Mankell.

We are so excited to have Claire on our team! We know that she will keep Volunteer Transportation running smoothly and efficiently with her thoughtfulness, organization, and attention to detail.

 She can be reached at clairem@seniorservices.org.

The Volunteer Transportation program is incredibly pleased to welcome Kaitlin Sovich as its new Eastside/West Seattle Coordinator.  She is the perfect fit for this rewarding/challenging role!

Kaitlin, a native Floridian, grew up in Southwest Florida on the Gulf Coast. While in high school, her first job as a dining services and events associate at an assisted living community taught her that she wants to spend her career making the lives of seniors the best that they can be. She has looked forward to working with seniors again ever since leaving that job to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL in 2009. While at UF, she sought out work in a research lab focusing on memory and aging, and upon graduating with her B.A. in anthropology and sociology in May 2013, she went to work for the UF College of Medicine as a Research Coordinator in the Department of Health Outcomes and Policy.  After six happy years in Gainesville, in July 2015, Kaitlin and her partner moved to Seattle for new opportunities in life and work. Kaitlin is very excited to have joined the Volunteer Transportation team at Senior Services and finds working with seniors in this capacity to be dynamic and fulfilling.

In her spare time, Kaitlin enjoys cooking, reading, playing with her cat, exploring her neighborhood, and spending time with her partner and friends in this incredible city.

We know that all Volunteer Transportation clients and staff will love working with Kaitlin as she uses her skills and talents to breathe life into the program!  Feel free to drop her a line at kaitlins@seniorservices.org.

This card arrived to our office earlier this week.

Upon Amy’s departure from Senior Services, we asked her to reflect about her experiences with Volunteer Transportation:

What do you think makes Volunteer Transportation such a valuable program?
Volunteer Transportation provides much more than transportation; it offers a means to build relationships with people in our community.  Clients, volunteers and doctors are all able to connect with one another through this valuable service and volunteer opportunity.  It’s exciting to think of neighbors helping neighbors, retired pediatricians taking their (now older) patients, or community members reconnecting with distant family members or long lost friends.  What a wonderful way of making the world a better place!

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. 

It’s always difficult to say good-bye to one of our precious volunteers.  Yet, when life circumstances change and prevent a person from driving for the Volunteer Transportation program any longer, we understand.   We also collect exit reports from these outgoing volunteers to gain insight into their experiences with our program.  This week’s post comes directly from these surveys.

It has been quite heartening to peruse our most recent batch of exiting volunteer feedback.  You will note that many responses to questions echo others, and they all affirm the value of our work.  In addition, they offer many kudos for our hardworking schedulers!  Here are some of the statements from our volunteers:

• Helping in a way that is really appreciated and needed.  I found the information given to me before every ride was so helpful.
• Meeting the seniors and interacting with them.  Different experiences and stories every week.  Feeling a purpose beyond myself while I was in between jobs.
• Meeting nice people and feeling the satisfaction of helping others.
• Being able to help with transportation for people who needed it and chatting with the clients.
• The knowledge that I was helping members of my community I otherwise would not have met.
• Meeting the clients and discovering mutual associations.
• I really enjoyed visiting with the clients.  They were always so nice and appreciated the rides very much.  It was interesting to hear about their lives.

• Thanks you so much for everything.   To Amy: Keep up the great work!
• I think you’re doing such an excellent job!
• Great program!  … Donald is a pleasure to work with.  Keep up all the great work you do. 
• I really enjoyed working with everyone at Volunteer Transportation and the many coordinators over time.
• Great feedback from the dispatcher, Donald.  He was always available to help in any untoward situation.  A pleasure to work with.
• Can recommend SST to anybody who wants to volunteer.  It is very rewarding and fun.
• I enjoyed the experience very much, working with the staff and clients.
• It was a pleasure working with your dedicated staff.  I miss Donald’s cheery conversations.  Thank you all so much for organizing and keeping this vital services going for our needy seniors.
• This experience with Senior Services has been so rewarding and uplifting!  We thank you all for providing such a super environment for us to help others!
• Time has passed so swiftly since my orientation with Cindy fourteen years ago.  The void was filled since retirement and provided fulfillment.  We will miss you all and your dedication to a worthwhile endeavor.
• Everyone we dealt with at Senior Services was especially kind and caring.  Just the kind of personalities who work well with our clients!
• Donald is not only a fantastic coordinator but an amazing person.  His dedication and constant understanding and patience made Senior Services a great place to volunteer for.  Thank you!
• It has been such a pleasure all these years of talking with different schedulers beginning with Mary Ann way back in the 90’s and ending now with Amy.  They have a great sense of humor and they all do such a great job.

Over the last month, you may have heard a new voice over the Volunteer Transportation phone lines.  It’s now time to make some introductions.  Jacob Sperati joined the Volunteer Transportation crew as the South King County Scheduler on Dec 10, 2012.  A Delaware native and St. Olaf College graduate, he has called Washington home since 2006 and brings with him a wealth of experience working with seniors, volunteers, and transportation programs.  In previous positions, Jacob coordinated volunteer drivers for Chicken Soup Brigade and trained and scheduled the bus drivers for Holden Village in Chelan, Washington. 

Most recently, Jacob spent 2012 working as a driver for three Seattle area retirement homes-- giving him firsthand experience with the highs and lows of providing the extra helping hand for seniors while negotiating the frustrating Seattle traffic.   He couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with Senior Services and have a deeper impact on the greater King County community.

When not working on connecting local seniors with vital transportation, Jacob rings hand bells with the Emerald City Ringers, and is an avid hiker-- having walked 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. He is preparing to climb Mt. Rainier in August. 



The "puzzle" starts to come together with detailed notes about driver availabilities in the upcoming week.

Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut formulas, systems, or programs for determining who will drive whom as the weekly ride requests accumulate.  Our Transportation Coordinators rely on their brainpower and critical thinking skills to take many factors into account as they pair clients with drivers, craftily putting together the “jigsaw puzzle” of ride assignments.   They must look at the locations of the clients, volunteers, and appointments; honor the preferences, availabilities, and abilities of our volunteers; recognize the limitations of our clients; prioritize rides for clients who need our services the most; and ensure that as many people as possible can receive our services.  

Rides are highlighted once driving assignments are confirmed.



Shelani is off for new adventures.

We will miss Shelani very much, but we wish her the best of luck with all of her future endeavors.  Here’s hoping that her life journey is filled with meaningful "rides!"