Driving for Senior’s Resource Center has been a fulfilling and worthwhile volunteer opportunity for Dan W. Once a week he picks up a SRC vehicle at the Southwest Office and begins his day driving the city while meeting interesting and appreciative people. As Dan said, he has the opportunity to spend time with “Our most treasured generation.”
Dan shared, one of the things he most enjoys is experiencing the great diversity of our city’s population and listening to so many unique and inspiring life experiences. In addition, he thinks driving as a Trooper has been a way to see different areas and neighborhoods, plus keeping up with what is happening and changing all across our city. He shared that he often ends the day marveling at the courage and grace with which his riders deal with the challenges involved with aging. Rarely does he have a rider who complains or is negative while dealing with walkers, poor vision, oxygen tanks and all the other life-altering changes that make up their daily experience.
When Dan was getting ready to retire and wondering what was next, he talked with a
fellow church member who was driving for Red Cross at the time and suggested Dan “Give it a try.” He did and hasn’t stopped – he’s been driving now for about six years. In addition to volunteer driving he also volunteers as a Communion minister for Catholic patients at Sky Ridge Hospital. He finds this to be another very rewarding volunteer experience seeing the entire spectrum of life from anxious families in intensive care to parents welcoming their precious newborn babies.
Dan finds a common link between the two volunteer experiences: in clinics and hospitals the medical professionals and staff are always genuinely helpful and committed to providing the best possible care to all of their patients and clients.
According to Dan, grocery trips are sometimes a bit humorous. He always smiles to see the number of grocery bags that our seniors are able to fill in a single visit to the store.
Dan shared that for him the opportunity to pick up an SRC vehicle at the Southwest Office (in a neighborhood closer to his home) has made a big difference, and he thinks it is a key to adding volunteers who live greater distances from the main office in Wheat Ridge. He also finds the volunteer driver meetings an excellent forum to meet other volunteers, to share and learn from one another.
When asked for his advice for anyone considering volunteer driving for older adults, Dan said, “Just make sure you enjoy driving and appreciate the opportunity to meet and listen to so many wonderful folks.”
Dan, we are so glad you find driving our older adults fun and rewarding. Thank you for your 6 plus years as a volunteer driver and for sharing your experience.