● Features 95 heartfelt stories from
Volunteer Drivers, including 3 Winning Entries from the 2004 STAR
Award for Excellence.
●
Provides data and analysis from leading experts in Senior Transportation in America.
● Gives insight into the two-fold dynamic of aging where the able and the frail meet.
● Available for purchase through Amazon.com at $12.95 per copy.
Volunteer
Driving in America
New Book
“Stories From The Road, Stories from the Heart”
Details
Drivers’ and Passengers’ Stories
April 2006
For Immediate Release
Pasadena, CA
– In “Stories From The Road, Stories from the Heart,” a new book from the
Pasadena-based Beverly Foundation, it becomes immediately clear that volunteer
drivers who provide transportation to the elderly and homebound get more from
their contributions than they give. Throughout the book, volunteer drivers tell,
in their own words, the amazing benefits to both their passengers...and
themselves.
Considerable data is
provided about the story authors and the volunteer driver programs with which
they are affiliated. For example, the reader discovers why people volunteer to
drive, how long they drive, where they go, the vehicles they use, and the
difficulties they encounter. It also becomes evident that the human contribution
made by volunteer drivers in this country is enormous. The forty-six
volunteer driver programs represented in the book fielded a total of 3,996
volunteer drivers who averaged 4.4 hours per week. In accomplishing this feat,
volunteer drivers made an estimated dollar contribution of $15,859,325
“Stories from the Road
…” chronicles how more than ninety volunteer drivers take their passengers,
mostly elderly men and women who can no longer drive, to a variety of
destinations. In many instances it is the only means they have of getting
there. While the book indicates that 93% of the riders use volunteer drivers to
take them to life sustaining activities such as doctor’s appointments, grocery
shopping, and nutrition programs; volunteer drivers also take their passengers
to a wide variety of life enriching activities such as visits to family and
friends, recreation activities, and even to the beauty shop.
However, the book is
about more than destinations. Some of the stories explain why drivers volunteer
and why it is an important part of their life; others paint a picture of who
they drive and where they go; still others tell why they have become important
in the lives of their passengers and how they have made new friends. If they
convey a single theme, it is that their volunteer experience is the best job
they have ever had and that they are the real beneficiaries.
Take the story of William
Gillespie who takes his riders everywhere from the pharmacy, to various stores,
to a favorite fast food joint. Says Gillespie, “What I gain from the friendship
of these riders far exceeds anything I could do for them.” Or, as Barbara O’Mara
notes, “My riders thank me over and over for to driving them to their
destinations. I am humbled. Being a volunteer driver is one of the greatest
gifts I can give to members of my community.”
While the need for
volunteer drivers is great today, it will be even greater tomorrow. According
to the US Bureau of the Census, in 2000 there were 34,991,753 people in the
United States age 65 and over, and 4,239,500 in the 85+ age group. This latter
age group is most likely to have physical or mental limitations that can make it
difficult or impossible for them to drive or to access other forms of
transportation without assistance or support in getting to and from the vehicle
and even at the destination. It is worth noting that the 85+ age group is the
fastest growing segment of the older adult population, and it is expected to
increase to 9,603,000 in 2030 and to 20,861,000 in 2050.
“Just because someone is
no longer able to drive doesn’t mean they should no longer be able to be a part
of our society,” says Helen Kerschner, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Beverly
Foundation. “Volunteer drivers provide a valuable service in our community by
giving riders both access and independence. In fact they may be the hope of
their future if our society is going to be able to provide the kind of
personalized ‘supportive’ door-to-door and door-through-door transportation many
older adults will need in order to access quantity and quality of life
activities.”
“Stories from the Road…”
conveys the message of the importance of volunteer driving to older adults and
to America; and tells the stories of the drivers and of the riders they help
every day.
