The following story comes to us from the May 2013 edition of AgeWise King County:

Claire Anderson lost her vision in a matter of seconds due to an optic stroke.

Sightless in Seattle: Adventures with My Guide Dog is available through Seattle Public Library. For more information, click here.

An optic stroke left Claire without sight when she was 64 years old. She did not allow her "legally blind" status to impact her active lifestyle.

Claire goes to the Monroe Correctional Complex every month to participate in the prison group's philosophical round table. She leads a memoir class at the Ballard Northwest Senior Center. She is involved in other activities as well, including public speaking, teaching, and even sewing.

Claire's yellow Labrador retriever DaVida is her constant companion. DaVida stars on the cover of Claire's book about vision loss titled Sightless in Seattle.

It takes courage and willingness to overcome personal challenges and barriers, and to live your life making a difference in the lives of others. Claire makes that difference.

For more information about this remarkable woman, visit Claire's website at www.claireanderson.net.

For more information about coping with vision loss, read Access to Technology for Vision Loss and Insight: A Low Vision Expo 2013 in this issue.

You may recognize Claire from the King County Mobility Coalition video highlighting our Volunteer Transportation program.  Here it is for your enjoyment:

It was quite a pleasant surprise when this "thank you" tin arrived. Inside,we discovered three different varieties of cookies.

To the mysterious person who ordered Mrs. Fields' cookies and kindly had them delivered to our Volunteer Transportation driver gathering in Auburn yesterday, we sincerely thank you for these tasty treats!  We have thoroughly enjoyed them.  Yum!

We had a great time talking about our experiences as volunteer drivers, but it was made even better by this sweet gift.

Meet Jay.  He has lived a very full life.  Prior to retiring as a Boeing engineer in 1995,he once oversaw the complete rebuilding of a plane that had landed on its belly in New Delhi.

It’s easy to talk with Jay Surati, a volunteer driver with Senior Services’ Volunteer Transportation program. He is a wealth of knowledge in a variety of topics; he’s full of fascinating stories; and there’s a notable sense of sincerity, warmth, and spirit behind every statement he makes.  Yet, since volunteering for the VT program in 1996, Jay’s discussions with clients have served as much more than just friendly banter.  These important dialogues have fostered meaningful learning and provided for increased cultural understanding.

Jay is from India.  This is just one layer of his multi-faceted identity, but it comes up very quickly in conversation with passengers --  “as soon as they hear my accent!” he notes.  Typical exchanges include the following questions:
• “Where are you from?” Jay says with a sly smile, ““I always make them guess.  Some of them get it right, but I usually joke and tell them I’m from Italy!”
• “Do you know of any good local Indian restaurants?”  Jay knows of several.
• “Do you know this other specific East Indian volunteer driver?(The mathematician?  The retired teacher?  The musician?  The one with the GPS?”). Jay usually can figure out who it is.  In fact, Jay recruited several of the program’s other Indian volunteer drivers!
• “How do you speak English so well?”  Jay laughs at this last one.  He explains that Indian children begin speaking English in school at a very young age.

But then there are the conversations of a more memorable nature.  He was once taken aback by a 90-year-old woman who was eager to hear his opinions about the current prime minister elections of his home country oh-so-far-away.  With so many television viewing options, he was impressed that she had become engrossed in Indian politics and wanted to learn more from him.

Jay also recalls a particularly poignant moment shortly after September 11, 2001.  In the climate of fear following the attacks, he drove a blind client who expressed true concern for him.  She’d heard tales of dark-skinned men experiencing discrimination, and she wanted to help.  Even though she could not see Jay, she was worried that his foreign origins would make him a target.  He was deeply moved by her empathy and compassion. 

Throughout each of these individual interactions, Jay knows that he is representing his cultural group and helping others to “know who we are.”  He says, “Maybe someday, one of these clients will tell her grandchildren, ‘This kind fellow from India gave me a ride.’” 

Jay believes that the program has “made my life very rich.”  His volunteer work with Senior Services (first with Meals and Wheels and then the Volunteer Transportation Program) even inspired him to take on other outreach projects with the East Indian community, including a lunch program in Redmond.  Furthermore, it has taught him about the process of “aging gracefully in American culture.”

Jay is evidence of the give-and-take nature volunteer driving.  Even though he asserts that he “does more taking than giving,” it is clear that it is a mutual, reciprocal process.

Jay labels his work as “building bridges.”   Person by person and word by word, he “talks” his way through differences and misconceptions to a place of powerful cross-cultural respect.

Like many of the volunteers, Shanta G. welcomed me into her home as I delivered her award in Seattle.



Rhonda J. was one of the first Shining Star recipients that I visited in South King County.

I know that I sound like a broken record when I say that we love our volunteers! But it’s so very true. We greatly appreciate each and every one of them; we recognize that each volunteer driver has a truly distinct and significant impact on the lives of others. It is for this reason that we do not believe in selecting one specific "standout" volunteer as a "volunteer of the month" or a "volunteer of the year." They are all special and admirable people.

However, with that said, we do believe in acknowledging the longstanding commitment of specific volunteers who have demonstrated steadfast dedication to volunteer driving. We objectively honor those who have offered years’ worth of service to our clients over particular periods of time.

Within the past few months, I’ve had the unique privilege of delivering beautiful Barone Crystal "Shining Star" awards to several volunteers who have driven for our program for the past 15 years. I’ve felt a little bit like the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol as I’ve made appearances at their front doors with these elegant tokens of appreciation.

As I’ve interacted with these long-term volunteers, I’ve been humbled and inspired. They have so many wonderful stories to share from their years of experience, and they still continue to find new lessons to be learned from each ride they give and each client they meet.

Each of our volunteers—new or old-- is a "star" in his/her own way, but our impressive "Shining Stars" serve as great reminders of the constant need for transportation, the continual growth of volunteers, and the self-perpetuating nature of doing good deeds.

Congratulations to them all!

~Hilary

Hilary, our Volunteer Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator, will be at the Viva Volunteers! Fair on Saturday, April 6, in Kirkland.  Please stop by and say "hello!"  You can find out more here.

It is no secret that many members of the Volunteer Transportation staff are animal lovers.  Therefore, their hearts melted when they opened this card (sent in by John, a client of the program) in yesterday's mail:

It says, "Sometimes it is hard to find the right words to express gratitude and appreciation.  When I look at this picture of our dog Bella, it reminds me of that fact.

I'll just say, I think you are doing a great service for me and everyone like me who sometimes need transportation they can count on with a friendly, personal touch.

Thank you so much."

Both our Volunteer Transportation and Hyde Shuttle programs provide equally valuable services to senior residents of King County, while offering fun and worthwhile ways for volunteer drivers to spend their time.  Although Hyde Shuttles can be found in 13 areas of the County, volunteer drivers run the routes in Shoreline/Lake Forest Park, Burien, and Des Moines.  They are a small but mighty bunch, and riders of the shuttles adore them. 

Here is the account of one such enthusiastic passenger:

“I love the Hyde Shuttle.  I would be very devastated if I didn’t have access to the program.  If I couldn’t ride the shuttle, I wouldn’t be able to get out and interact with other people my age at the Senior Center.  This is so important to me.  I’m always making new friends, and I really need socialization.  My life would be so boring if I didn’t have this opportunity.  Without that activity, I would feel lost and grow tired of watching TV so much.   Even weekends seem long.  I love meeting new people and making them feel comfortable. ..

Getting out also helps me with my mental agility.  I forget things a lot, and I’ve been told that I’m in the early stages of dementia.  I really think going to activities helps me keep my mind from getting weaker...I don’t know what I’d do without the program because I have balance problems and cannot use other transportation options…

The shuttles are all very nice and are in good condition.  The seats are also very comfortable, and I can come on in my wheelchair…

 The drivers are all so courteous and kind.  I appreciate them so much… I have every confidence in the world in them.  They all deserve a gold medal!!”

~~Carolyn A.,  regular Hyde Shuttle client

Three cheers (and a gold medal) for all Hyde Shuttle volunteer drivers!!