VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENIORS For almost nineteen years, The Senior Connection of Montgomery County, Inc. has provided free volunteer services (transportation to medical appointments, grocery shopping and support with financial matters) to older residents of Montgomery County, MD. Each and every month about 400 seniors rely heavily on the services provided by a dedicated cadre of volunteers. In an average month these volunteers provide more than 650 free trips to medical appointments; either shop for or transport a low-income/disabled senior to the grocery store on 300 occasions; and help ensure that 15 low-income seniors pay their bills on time, maintain files, monitor accounts for identity theft, and keep good records for tax purposes. The word around town is so good that 25 – 30 additional seniors are worked into our already overburdened work load each month. The program staff works hard to accommodate all requests, but all too frequently find that we cannot meet the demand. As soon as the monthly calendar flips to the current month, the available transportation slots for each day are already filled with requests from the previous months. The suggested two week notice is now turning into a month’s notice. New volunteers are constantly being recruited and trained, but not adequate to the pace of new people coming into the system. With more volunteers we could have provided the 40 rides we had to turn down last month. We want to provide more trips, with a shorter lead time. To accomplish that goal we need more drivers. An average driver provides one trip to one individual each week or as available. The goal is to match a volunteer who lives or works close to the location of the person being served, and on a day and time of the volunteer’s choosing. Grocery shopping and chore type transportation is needed for weekends, and medical transportation during business hours. If you are a victim of sequestration furloughs…add a silver lining to your life by helping out a senior on your newly acquired day off. It may make your time off a little more bearable and certainly more meaningful. The Senior Connection is partially funded through a contract with Montgomery County Health and Human Services, Department of Aging and Disability. And, though county leaders recognize the value of our services, our contract does not cover all the expenses associated with providing these services. In order to meet the increased demand for our services, we are finding that we can only meet this demand through increased volunteer support. Please consider giving two – three hours per week to help out. It will make a big difference to you and to the people you serve. To keep updated on our programs, we would love to have you follow us on Facebook! Or: For more information, please contact Marcia Custer at 301-962-0820 X14, or download an application on the website at: seniorconnectionmc.org/volunteers/become-a-volunteer/
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 20:16:32 +0000