April - June 2019

The View from the Driver’s Seat and the Passenger’s Seat Gary Hinton has volunteered as an Out of Town Transportation driver since 2016. He takes clients to medical appointments outside of Erie County, most often to Toledo or Cleveland, in a Serving Our Seniors vehicle. The rides are offered free of charge although many clients make a donation to support the program. Last year, our drivers made 468 trips with 133 clients. Driving is something Gary enjoys so he decided to volunteer for Serving Our Seniors when he realized he had some spare time. Serving Our Seniors appreciates that volunteers have other commitments. A volunteer is asked to drive only to the extent that they want to drive. “Serving Our Seniors made it very clear that I could volunteer as little or as often as I want, without feeling guilty or pressured,” Gary recalls. “This experience has been better than I expected. I go to new places. I enjoy being able to drive and I am helping someone who needs help. I meet new people and hear interesting stories.” On one trip, Gary drove a client he was acquainted with previously. The client talked about growing up in the town where Gary’s grandparents taught school. “I found out my grandfather had been his teacher. We are more connected to people than we realize.” Raymond Mitchell first heard about Serving Our Seniors three years ago when talking to a friend about a referral from his physician to a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. He told his friend he had no idea how he was going to get to Cleveland for the appointment and treatment. The friend suggested he call Serving Our Seniors. Raymond was driven to a number of appointments through the Out of Town Transportation program. He reports, “The drivers who were taking me back and forth were very courteous. I couldn’t have asked for more. When my appointment was over, they were right there and they got me home. I don’t know what I would have done, but thank God there are people like this, to help people like me.” Of all of Serving Our Seniors volunteer programs, the Out of Town Transportation program is the one in most need of more volunteers at this time. The time you give to someone who is trying to maintain his or her health is invaluable. If you can volunteer to drive once a month (as fits your schedule), we would love to hear from you. Please call Brenda Henry, Office Manager at 419-624-1856 for more information. Raymond Mitchell Gary Hinton Like us on www.servingourseniors.org 7