Volunteers help others get around

Published 5:21 am Thursday, May 6, 2010

EVERETT — Sam Shumski makes it his goal to never be late when someone is depending on him for a ride.

As a volunteer driver with the Catholic Community Services Volunteer Transportation Program, the Everett resident drives people who use the service to doctor appointments and to do other errands.

When he started volunteering more than two years ago, Shumski heard multiple stories from people who were late to their appointments and had to reschedule. Shumski, 74, listened closely to these stories and resolved that no one on his watch would ever be late to or miss their appointment.

“I made it my goal to never be late so I’m always at least 15 minutes early,” he said. “So far I’ve been very successful in getting people where they need to be on time.”

Shumski, 74, retired from the automobile industry, signed on to be a volunteer with the program after reading a newspaper advertisement asking for volunteers. Now he routinely gets calls from the Catholic Community Services when a client needs a ride.

“They’ll call me and say, ‘Sam can you take this run?’ and I say yes or no,” he said.

He records the miles he drives for the program. He drove his white 1998 Dodge Caravan 3,015 miles in 2009.

While he drives, Shumski tries to make the trip “as cheery as possible” for his passengers.

“Sometimes you’re going to the doctors and you’re depressed and so I try to cheer them up and I talk about myself a lot,” he said. “I babble a lot. On one of the last trips I had I was telling someone I make sourdough bread.”

Fifty people volunteer for the transportation program, according to coordinator Nicole Mack. Those who qualify for the service and the home chore program also provided by Community Catholic Services in Everett often are disabled, elderly, low-income or veterans. More than 200 clients are served through the programs.

“We have quite a complicated schedule,” Mack said. “(Clients) try to give us close to a week’s notice so we can use that time to find a volunteer who matches with their need.”

Volunteers for the transportation program use their own vehicles and are reimbursed for mileage. They must be at least 18 with a valid Washington state driver’s license, a clean driving record, proof of insurance and an interest in helping people.

“They have to be kind and really understand and be sensitive to the needs of our clients,” Mack said.

Being a volunteer driver is fun and fulfills a real need, said Marysville resident Allen Vance, who first learned about the program while his mother was using the service. He has volunteered with the program an average of three days a week over the past three years.

As happens with other volunteers, Vance is sometimes asked to take clients to appointments that can last several hours. Vance, 75, doesn’t mind. He brings a book along and patiently waits to drive his passenger back home again.

“For one deal I have a lady I take up to Arlington for chemo treatment and her appointment usually lasts about four or five hours and I just wait,” he said. “That’s a lot of wait time but I take my book and I read and go to lunch.”

Driving once a week for the program is also a chance for mother of three, Stephanie Verkerk of Everett, to get in some reading, grab a cup of coffee, or sneak in a tanning session while she waits for clients to finish with their appointments.

“It’s fun to meet new people and help them out,” Verkerk, 28, said. “There’s just so many people who fall through the cracks and transportation can be a big expense. I don’t think some people realize how good they have it to be able to get in their car and drive.”

Volunteers with the transportation program can feel good about helping people get where they need to go, Shumski said.

“At the end of the day I feel that I really accomplished something good and I helped somebody who needed some help,” he said.

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.

Learn more

Learn more about becoming a volunteer driver for the Catholic Community Services Volunteer Transportation Program by calling 425-257-2101 ext. 3336.