Sedge Valley Neighbors Program one-pager · 2027

Rides to Care

Volunteer drivers take older neighbors to the doctor, the dentist and the pharmacy, and bring them home again. In the past twelve months we gave 1,600 round trips and turned down 288 requests. One more part-time coordinator would let us say yes to all of them.

The twelve months to 31 October 2026

1,600round trips to medical appointments
200riders, with an average age of 81
54volunteer drivers on the road
94%of riders we asked would have missed or put off the visit (158 of 168)
$41.25the cost of a round trip, on this year's budget of $66,000

The need

One coordinator can match about 32 round trips a week, and ours is at that limit. In the past year we turned down 288 requests, and 64 people are on the waiting list. Drivers are not the shortage: 19 trained volunteers are still waiting for a first shift.

The plan for 2027

Hire a second coordinator, half-time, from January. That takes us from 1,600 round trips a year to 2,400. The extra 800 cover the waiting list (64 people at 8 trips a year is 512) and the requests we now turn down (288).

How a ride works

1
Call. A rider phones by Thursday to book a ride for the following week. There is no app to learn.
2
Match. The coordinator pairs them with a driver who lives nearby, and rings both of them the day before.
3
Ride. The driver walks them in, waits, and brings them home. Riders pay nothing.

What 2027 costs

Coordinators: one full-time ($48,000) and one half-time ($24,000)	$72,000
Gas cards for drivers, $6 a round trip	$14,400
Insurance and background checks	$7,800
Phone line and scheduling software	$3,000
Total, for 2,400 round trips	$97,200

That comes to $40.50 a round trip, 75 cents less than this year.

Where the money stands

$67,200 committed$30,000 to raise

County Office on Aging · contract renewed$40,000
Sedge Valley Hospital Foundation · granted$15,000
Individual donors · pledged$12,200
Still to raise$30,000

What a gift does

$40.50One round trip to an appointment.
$324One rider's year: eight round trips.
$2,000The new coordinator for a month.
$30,000The whole gap. The new coordinator starts on Monday 4 January.

I gave up my license in March. Without Tuesdays with Ray, I would have cancelled the eye clinic three times by now.

Lorraine, 84, a rider since April

Talk to us

Wendell Abara, development director, at wendell.abara@example.com. A pledge by Friday 18 December lets us hire in time for January.

Sedge Valley Neighbors is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, giving rides since 2011.

Sample page. The names and numbers are made up.