City program gives Vestavia seniors a lift
After developing glaucoma and being involved in a traffic accident, Estelle Helms said she can no longer drive.
“I’d be a menace on the highway,” Helms said with a laugh.
While Helms can’t drive, she’s still able to go grocery shopping and get to her doctor appointments thanks to the Senior Ride program offered by the city of Vestavia Hills.
“It’s been a real blessing,” Helms said.
Helms has used the program for about a year, and every day, she said, she’s grateful for the program.
Julie Harper, civic activities coordinator for the city, said the program started more than 30 years ago during the administration of Mayor Sara Wuska.
“The [riders] are always grateful and express that most every time I drive with them,” Harper said.
Wuska said she started the program in 1985, but the idea came into her head while she was still on the city council.
“I was on the city council and we were having delegations representing different groups’ needs coming to the city asking us about transportation,” Wuska said. “We agreed to pursue it the best we could.”
Wuska realized the city’s seniors were vastly in need of help, and made it her goal to do something about it if elected mayor. Twelve people were originally recruited to drive, but the number of riders took time to increase.
“It started slow at first,” Wuska said. “Nobody could really believe this service was being offered.”
The city charged $1 per ride, which actually helped because no one was willing to trust a service that was completely free, Wuska said.
While more than 30 years have gone by since the program started, the premise is the same: help the elderly get where they need to go.
For those wanting to be a part of the program, Harper said they need to fill out some paperwork. Program drivers take residents to appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will go out of the city, and on Wednesdays and Fridays, they’ll take residents to shop within city limits until noon, Harper said. The city provides a car and gas for those who volunteer to drive.
Helms said she’s enjoyed meeting the drivers during the past year. “Most of them are quite pleasant.”
One of the drivers, Carrie Anna Pearce, said she’s been driving a little more than a year, starting after she retired.
“I saw the need,” Pearce said. “It seemed like I was getting telephone calls from neighbors and friends, ‘Can you drive me to the doctor?’”
Pearce realized she had time to do more for seniors in the city.
“When I retired, I realized I had time,” Pearce said. “... It’s really not that hard to mark off a couple days a month.”
Pearce has driven seniors to the store, banks, hair salons, the library, and other various places in the city. The work isn’t hard when you like people, she said, and meeting the other drivers has provided her with a new circle of friends.
“I enjoy the people you pick up,” Pearce said. “They all have interesting backgrounds.”
Senior Citizens Day
On Aug. 20, the city will celebrate National Senior Citizens Day for the sixth year. Mayor Ashley Curry will issue a proclamation marking the holiday Aug. 13.
“I think it’s really important,” Harper said. “We may be the only city in Alabama that does this.”
From 4-5 p.m. at City Hall, there will be a social hour where the city’s various senior groups will show off what they’ve been doing. At 5 p.m., Eli Gold, the radio voice of Alabama football and guest speaker at this year’s event, will speak to the crowd.
“It is important to us because a significant portion of our Vestavia Hills population is comprised of senior citizens,” city communications specialist Cinnamon McCulley said. “They’re important to us and important to our city, and we want to celebrate them.”
Refreshments will be served at the event.
New Merkel Senior Center
► Monthly nutritional education
► Monthly guest speakers
► Games played daily
► Mondays and Wednesdays: Exercise and table games, 10:30 a.m.
► Monday through Friday: Fun, fellowship and lunch, 11:45 a.m.
► Wednesdays and Fridays: Bingo, 11 a.m.
► Thursdays: Tech Talk
► Aug. 8: Arts with Tina Chaffin
► Aug. 10: Guest speaker from Alacare Home Health and Hospice
► Aug. 15: Indoor picnic, “Beat the Heat”
For more information on events at the New Merkel Senior Center, contact Melanie Perry at 967-5977. The activities calendar can also be viewed on the city’s parks and recreation Facebook page, as well as on the city’s website, vhal.org.