For older adults, trying to line up rides to and from appointments can be a challenge.
Fortunately at the Jonesborugh Senior Center, volunteer drivers participating in the MyRide TN program have been helping senior adults get where they need to go since December of last year. On Monday, the program held a celebration in honor of the 500th ride given by a volunteer driver, which came just short of the program’s one-year anniversary.
Lee Gay, volunteer transportation organizer for the program, used raw numbers to highlight the impact the program has had in Jonesborough thus far.
“The miles traveled is 7,852,” Gay said. “I googled it, and that would get you from here to Taiwan. The drivers have volunteered 513 hours.”
But Gay added that the program isn’t about the numbers – it’s about the people who make it work.
“Without the volunteers, we have no program,” he said. MyRide TN is an expanding, sustainable, senior-friendly volunteer transportation service that has taken root in Tennessee. Volunteer drivers use their personal vehicles to carry older Tennesseans to a variety of destinations, including medical appointments and grocery stores.
Rides are provided Monday through Friday and priority is given to doctor’s appointments. Those wishing to learn more about the program can contact Susan Katko at 423.788.4770.
