Once a week Barb Duckworth drives over to SRC, jumps in a SRC vehicle, and takes off to help our riders get to their destinations. Seniors’ Resource Center (SRC) Transportation provides rides to hundreds of seniors in the metro area and volunteer drivers are anessential part of the program.
After working for over 30 years at Metro State College of Denver and Coors Brewery, Barb decided she wanted to retire. However, she knew she wanted to stay active. “I’ve always stayed active. I know once you stop, it’s hard to get it back.” She’d always loved skiing, biking and walking. Retirement gave her the chance to find even more activities like yoga and Pilates, and of course volunteer driving. She has been driving as a volunteer for 10 years now. Barb had a friend driving for the volunteer Red Cross
program, and she thought it would be a perfect activity for Barb.
Now, Barb drives older adults to their necessary appointments with SRC. The Red Cross Volunteer Driving program was acquired by SRC, and Barb came along, too. She remembers one client in particular. Eudora was over 100 years old and had been served by the Red Cross for a while. Barb and her friend were the two ladies who had driven Eudora almost everywhere she needed to go. A friendship had formed. Since Barb’s friend wasn’t joining her at SRC, Barb did everything in her power to make sure she was going to be the one to continue driving Eudora everywhere. Barb knew their friendship was special and that it helped both Eudora and Barb immensely. Eudora liked when Barb went shopping with her, and helped her along. Barb wanted to help Eudora retain her independence, so she could continue living at home. “She was as sharp as tack…She knew the price of everything at the store.” Barb was able to help Eudora stay in her own home and live until she turned 102. Eudora had a big impact on her.
Barb enjoys driving many different clients around, and getting to know their
stories. “I’ve learned a lot of history.” She has driven a few veterans, and she
enjoys hearing their experiences. Her father served in WWII and didn’t share many of his experiences in the war, so their stories help her feel a connection with her father.
Mostly she likes helping seniors stay mobile and feel happy. “My favorite part of being a volunteer driver is how appreciative the riders are.” She also goes on to add, “I like being there and helping them with the aging process.”