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community focus Road to Recovery recruits new volunteers to help meet patients' transportation needs, more needed A major goal of the American Cancer Society is to meet the needs of cancer patients, including finding rides to treatment. Sometimes a cancer patient will live alone with no family or friends to drive them, or no one will be available to take them to a particular appointment. In all cases, cancer patients may be feeling side effects of their treatment after an appointment and need someone to help them back home. This is where the Society's Road to Recovery program steps in. Road to Recovery is a program that matches volunteer drivers with cancer patients who need rides to and from their treatments. It is one of our patient services programs to improve their quality of life. And since there are people in any given area that have cancer and need rides, there is always a need for volunteer drivers.  To find more volunteers, the Great Lakes Division had a Road to Recovery volunteer recruitment campaign from September 1-December 31, 2005. Staff worked together to get articles published in local newspapers, write Letters to the Editor, get pro-bono advertisements published, put up billboards, do talk radio shows, hand out flyers, partner with the AARP, and more to try to find more people willing to help.
Whitley County, Indiana, a rural area near Fort Wayne, participated in this campaign. When they started, they had 7 drivers. Now, because of the campaign, they have 17 drivers that are trained and ready to help, but more volunteers are always needed. Experienced Road to Recovery drivers will tell you it's a worthwhile cause. Gail Martin (shown above right), from Columbia City, Indiana, joined 13 years ago. "I would tell people that I think it's a worthwhile service and it gives you a good feeling to be able to help," he says. Mary Cornmesser, also from Columbia City in Indiana, is another volunteer. She is a retired nurse who has noticed other benefits from volunteering in addition to helping the patients. "I've met people who I would never have contact with before," she says. If you would like to join the Road to Recovery efforts in your area, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 to get connected to your local American Cancer Society area service center. Other articles in VOICES this month community focus: local networking supports Relay For Life |
survivorship and patient services: survivor recommends Society resources |
research: celebrating 60 years of progress |
education: deaths from cancer decline in U.S. |
advocacy: statewide efforts have impact |
advocacy: investigating Medicare Part D |
local area spotlight: Society staff reach migrant workers |
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