Drivers needed

Published 11:14 am Friday, January 30, 2009

By Staff
CASSOPOLIS – Cass County Department of Human Services urgently needs volunteers to drive clients to their medical appointments.
Volunteers use their own vehicles for the assignments and they are reimbursed for mileage at the rate of 50.5 cents per mile.
Other expenses such as meals, parking or tolls are also reimbursable in most cases.
Most of the trips are within Cass County or to neighboring communities, but there are occasional requests to go to Ann Arbor or Grand Rapids.
"It is a real challenge for some of our clients to see their doctor," says Margaret Shultz, community resources coordinator at the DHS office. "Their family members live far away or are working during the hours when appointments are usually made.
"Public transportation is expensive and not usually available if the destination is outside of the county. For some of them, a volunteer driver makes the difference between being able to stay at home or needing to live in an assisted living facility."
Prospective volunteers must have an insured car that is in good working order and they must have less than seven points on their driving record. There is no minimum time commitment.
Contact Shultz at (269) 445-0233 or e-mail shultzm@michigan.gov for more information or to get a volunteer application form.