Showing posts with label Volunteer in the Limelight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Volunteer in the Limelight. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2015
Seattle Times Spotlight
We were delighted to see our program, including volunteer driver Bill Goodfellow and client Mary Roberts, featured in this article in today's edition of the Seattle Times. We were profiled because Senior Services is one of twelve local agencies that will benefit from the Seattle Times Fund For the Needy. What an exciting opportunity!
We'd like to share the story's narrative about Volunteer Transportation here:
Seniors helping seniors
While some Seattle and King County residents enjoyed an economic resurgence after the recession of 2008, those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder have not shared in the prosperity.
In the annual overnight count of homeless in King County early this year, volunteers found 3,772 men, women and children had no shelter, more than a 20 percent increase from the previous year.
Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, called the tally “heartbreaking evidence that we cannot cover our community’s most basic needs.”
The numbers of people in need are large. The Census Bureau estimates that 60,000 children and 20,000 seniors in King County are living in households below the poverty level.
As baby boomers age, the ranks of elders swell. Today’s “youngest” oldsters may need to stay in the workforce longer, or live more years in which they’ll depend on Social Security and savings.
In the effort to help seniors, Senior Services uses a particularly effective resource: other seniors.
Of the 3,800 volunteers that put in a combined 274,000 hours last year, the agency estimates that 85 percent were at least 60 years old.
Among them is Bill Goodfellow, of Seattle, who’ll turn 80 in December.
For seven years — usually several times a week — he has driven Senior Services clients to doctor visits or other appointments. He stays through their appointments and takes them home.
The retired architect and structural engineer happily gives up the time. If the appointment is a long one, that’s fine, he said. It gives him more time to read the library books — including many mysteries — he has downloaded onto his iPad.
Goodfellow forgoes the money Senior Services offers for gas and parking, as do other drivers he knows, who consider it part of “their contribution to the program.”
The unsung heroes of the program, he said, are the Senior Services staffers who, a week at a time, match up ride requests with the available drivers.
Senior Services’ ride programs took clients a total of 1,113,422 miles last year, the equivalent of more than two round trips to the moon.
The best part of the assignment, he said, is meeting interesting people, such as Mary Roberts, 89, whom he recently drove from her Capitol Hill apartment to her Beacon Hill dentist.
A few years ago, Roberts might not have envisioned needing this service. But that changed when she got in a serious car crash while driving to a square-dancing session in West Seattle.
“No one was injured, thankfully. But I decided it was a sign. I couldn’t take the thought of hurting someone.” So she hung up her car keys for good.
Roberts, a retired materials-purchasing manager for a railroad, enjoys walking and doesn’t mind the 12-block walk to her church, Capitol Hill Presbyterian.
But she’s glad to have the option of Senior Services rides to doctor visits. She makes donations for the rides — but still less than she’d have to pay if she used a taxi.
And she regards Goodfellow as nothing less than an important civic asset.
“He just a really sweet guy,” she said. “And we’re fortunate to have him.”
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As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks for Bill and all the rest of our our amazing and inspiring volunteer drivers!
We'd like to share the story's narrative about Volunteer Transportation here:
Seniors helping seniors
While some Seattle and King County residents enjoyed an economic resurgence after the recession of 2008, those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder have not shared in the prosperity.
In the annual overnight count of homeless in King County early this year, volunteers found 3,772 men, women and children had no shelter, more than a 20 percent increase from the previous year.
Alison Eisinger, executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, called the tally “heartbreaking evidence that we cannot cover our community’s most basic needs.”
The numbers of people in need are large. The Census Bureau estimates that 60,000 children and 20,000 seniors in King County are living in households below the poverty level.
In the effort to help seniors, Senior Services uses a particularly effective resource: other seniors.
Of the 3,800 volunteers that put in a combined 274,000 hours last year, the agency estimates that 85 percent were at least 60 years old.
Among them is Bill Goodfellow, of Seattle, who’ll turn 80 in December.
For seven years — usually several times a week — he has driven Senior Services clients to doctor visits or other appointments. He stays through their appointments and takes them home.
The retired architect and structural engineer happily gives up the time. If the appointment is a long one, that’s fine, he said. It gives him more time to read the library books — including many mysteries — he has downloaded onto his iPad.
Goodfellow forgoes the money Senior Services offers for gas and parking, as do other drivers he knows, who consider it part of “their contribution to the program.”
 |
| Mary Roberts, 89, of Seattle, gets dropped off at her dentist’s office by Senior Services volunteer Bill Goodfellow. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times) |
Senior Services’ ride programs took clients a total of 1,113,422 miles last year, the equivalent of more than two round trips to the moon.
The best part of the assignment, he said, is meeting interesting people, such as Mary Roberts, 89, whom he recently drove from her Capitol Hill apartment to her Beacon Hill dentist.
 |
| Mary Roberts, 89, of Seattle, jokes around with Senior Services volunteer driver Bill Goodfellow, who turns 80 in December. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times) |
“No one was injured, thankfully. But I decided it was a sign. I couldn’t take the thought of hurting someone.” So she hung up her car keys for good.
Roberts, a retired materials-purchasing manager for a railroad, enjoys walking and doesn’t mind the 12-block walk to her church, Capitol Hill Presbyterian.
But she’s glad to have the option of Senior Services rides to doctor visits. She makes donations for the rides — but still less than she’d have to pay if she used a taxi.
And she regards Goodfellow as nothing less than an important civic asset.
“He just a really sweet guy,” she said. “And we’re fortunate to have him.”
---------------------------------------------
As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, we give thanks for Bill and all the rest of our our amazing and inspiring volunteer drivers!
Friday, March 6, 2015
Volunteer in the Limelight: Kathe Kern
One of our incredible volunteer drivers, Kathe Kern, is featured in Senior Services' latest e-newsletter. You can find it here, and we've also pasted it below for your enjoyment. We are so glad that Kathe (and all 5 of her boys) have been a part of the Volunteer Transportation program for so long!
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| Volunteer driver Kathe Kern and client Tamaya Nomi. |
Kathe Kern has been on the road for 25 years, and counting.
Senior Services volunteer driver Kathe Kern has always believed in giving her time to help others. With a degree in zoology and chemistry she began her first volunteer gig—reading and recording textbooks for blind students. But when her first son came along, Kathe found she could no longer make recordings. Babies are loud!
Fortunately, Kathe came across a Senior Services ad in the newspaper for volunteer drivers to take seniors to medical appointments. The gig seemed perfect as it allowed her to put her little boy in the backseat and take him along. Twenty-five years and four more boys later, Kathe is still driving. All five kids—one or two at a time—accompanied her as she went from her Mercer Island home all over the east side and Seattle with elders needing rides to the doctor.
Kathe says her boys learned valuable lessons from the experience. “I drove a woman who had cancer,” she remembers, “and she yelled at me. The boys’ eyes got as big as the moon, since they knew no one was allowed to talk to mom that way. Later I explained that the lady was very sick and maybe dying, and this is one of those times you have to be understanding.”
Senior Services’ Volunteer Transportation program provides door-to-door rides to medical appointments and back for seniors who are not able to drive themselves or manage public transportation. Last year, 800 caring and dedicated people—many of them seniors themselves—volunteered to help elders get to their doctors.
According to Kathe, the rewards of driving are great. “It has been as good for me as for the people I drove,” she says. “They’re good company and we tell each other our stories.” The clients have been appreciative and always loved seeing Kathe’s kids.
Though the boys are grown now, Kathe still drives several times a week. “It gets me out of the house!”
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.
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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!