by Dee Dee Vickers –
If you need a ride to a doctor’s appointment, Faith in Action may be able to help you, thanks to a $4,500 grant received from Seeds of Strength. While Faith in Action offers several services, the Seeds of Strength Grant is earmarked to fund medical transportation for clients needing a ride to a doctor appointment, a ride to rehabilitation, or needing to pick up a prescription at the drugstore. Our grant also includes funds for volunteer driver retention and recognition to assure that client requests for transportation needs can be achieved.
To qualify for a “ride,” clients must be at least 65 years old and reside in their own home. This service enables senior citizens in the Greater Georgetown area to remain in their homes and to function as independently as possible. Many seniors are quite able to live alone, but their failing eyesight doesn’t allow them to drive. This is where the Faith in Action volunteers come in. Volunteer drivers not only provide rides for medical needs in the Georgetown area, but also include rides to Round Rock, Austin, and as far away as Temple.
The day I visited the offices of Faith in Action, I was accompanied by Deborah Albers, the Seeds of Strength Community Liaison. We chatted in depth with Vickie Orcutt, the new Executive Director, and Melinda Eidson, a Faith in Action volunteer who has been with the program since its inception in January 2001. Mrs. Eidson not only serves as a volunteer driver, she is also on the Faith in Action Board and handles intake for new clients. Mrs. Eidson is the exemplification of a true Faith in Action volunteer. (In the photograph, Mrs. Eidson is shown on the left with Lynn Bandy, Volunteer Coordinator on the right.)
Faith in Action currently has 142 volunteer drivers and 413 clients, so there is always a need for new volunteers. Volunteers use their own cars and provide the gasoline when transporting a client to the doctor, drugstore or rehabilitation. Many of the volunteers say they reap rewards not just from knowing how much they are helping a person, but also from listening to the life experiences their riders share during their trips together.
Mrs. Eidson told a funny story about a lady she was driving to an appointment in Austin. The client kept insisting that she would pay for the gas. In an effort to reassure the women that payment wasn’t necessary, Mrs. Eidson pointed to her gas gauge and explained that since they were driving on the highway, her car was actually using less gas than when she drove around town.The lady replied, “Oh, then perhaps you should pay me for the all of the gas you are saving!”
It’s heartwarming to know that our grant of $4,500 makes such a difference to the senior citizens in our community.