As HillsCarPal heads towards its 270th Ride later this month, we are proud of how far we have come in helping Sydney Hills Shut-in Seniors to get out and about around Sydney.
Our client-base of 61 (41 of them active Riders) are supported by 29 volunteer drivers and 3 Online Facilitators. They are all full of kindness and a willingness to help the less fortunate in our community.
And it’s not all one-way traffic (pardon the pun!). The Seniors our volunteers transport contribute a whole lot of enjoyment – and a few stories – to our volunteers’ day too.
Today we had a call from District Nurse, Cheryl. She asked if we could enroll an elderly couple from Annangrove.
“The woman”, Cheryl told us “suffered from very mild dementia and her husband has just had the devastating news that his driver’s licence would not be renewed”. To top it off, he was battling with prostate cancer.
We know that there are many, many more in a similar, or even a worse situation, when it comes to Shut-in Seniors getting around The Hills and in our city beyond.
Our response to Cheryl was, we are currently ramping up a recruitment campaign to double our volunteer numbers so that we can take on more Shut-in Seniors. We will ring that couple as soon as we see the fruits of our campaign.
Casual Volunteers who are anything but …
We are on the lookout for people who want to volunteer when it fits their busy lives and lifestyle. Not a regular program each week or fortnight but a more casual sort of engagement that HillsCarPal can employ to provide Shut-in Seniors with a sense of real freedom and independence.
And don’t think that such an arrangement can’t be good for the Shut-in Seniors. It works for both parties very well. It does this by taking the pressure off volunteers from having to make firm commitments and then being forced to break them when confronted by life’s challenges.
Want a few months off to take that trip you’ve been talking about forever? No problem …. and the Shut-in Seniors you have transported before will still have their independence to get around as they like, courtesy of other HillsCarPal volunteers.
Our volunteers are at all stages of life. Singles; married with kids; working full & part-time; and some are retired.
We use a “detour model”, which fits with where drivers are driving anyway. It’s OK (and even expected) that drivers will have other passengers in the car when they pickup a Senior.
It’s easy for anyone to volunteer with us. All that we are looking for is an attitude of wanting to help and get it right for the Seniors in our Sydney Hills community. You don’t even need a car!
So, if you know someone who might fit this spec, forward them this email, or …. if it’s you, go to:
Safe driving,
The HillsCarPal Team
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