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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnyone over 60 can get involved as a rider, with a membership fee of $25 a year plus $6 per ride. For many, the ride is the least they get from the program. Betty Callis, who has been with the program since 2019, said she has become friends with many people who have driven her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you get in their car, it\u2019s like you\u2019re going with one of your best friends,\u201d Callis said. \u201cI kind of think they feel like that, too, because we laugh and cut up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those friends have invited her to church, plays, and events \u2014 rides that aren\u2019t scheduled but offered. Community Life Ride occasionally organizes events for the riders to meet each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey become your friends, and I really appreciate that cause I love people,\u201d Callis said. \u201cIt\u2019s just saving my life, and I thank God for them every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, Community Life Ride gave, on average, 71 rides per week, making nearly 3,700 in the year. While the program staff filled in gaps as needed, 97 % of those rides were given by volunteers. Anyone can be a driver, as long as they are older than 21 and they all use their own vehicles. While the program requests that each driver give at least two rides a month, Martin said they can choose those rides that fit into their schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur average volunteer is probably early retirees, but we have stay-at-home moms, those who work other jobs, flexible-type jobs, all kinds of different demographics,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a driver, Debbie Wilmore said volunteering was an encouragement and a joy. She has been with the program since it began in 2019 and has become friends with many of those she has driven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI always feel like I get more from them than I give them,\u201d Wilmore said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just providing a ride to a destination. We do become good friends, check up on each other occasionally, and just enjoy each other\u2019s company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilmore joined the program because she enjoyed being around people, which was an excellent way to serve her community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe can be a lot of things, but everybody can be kind, and it\u2019s just a way of giving back,\u201d Wilmore said. \u201cBecause there\u2019ll come a day not too far in the future that I may be a rider and no longer a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community Life Ride has about 65 regular drivers but a waiting list for riders. As the program gains more volunteers, it will be able to serve more of the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe definitely have a continuous flow of interest in being a rider in our program, but the volunteer aspect is where we have the opportunity to just continue to grow and grow and grow,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWe will probably never not need volunteers.\u201d GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR MANY aging adults, losing the ability to drive means becoming isolated from friends and community. It can be challenging to get out of the house regularly when you have to arrange for rides each time or wait for out-of-town family to visit. This issue was identified by Community Life Bridge, and in 2019, thenonprofit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":21664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/hendersonville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2024\/04\/3-1024x683.png\")
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