Volunteer Spotlight: Connie Benjamin

Connie loves electric bicycling, to ride motorcycles, and do pistol shooting. She also loves travel and bus trips. When asked why she volunteers, she says it keeps her busy and she knows she’ll need services down the road, “I like to pay it forward. It’s fun!” It’s appreciated that the staff are nice and appreciate us. They let us say no if we need to and there are a good variety of things to do. Connie did 5,500 miles worth of driving in 2023! A favorite memory is when “a 97 year old MOW client, sharp as a tack, reads a lot of magazines, would let me take them after she was done reading them. You get to know the clients”. People for the most part are nice, polite, and appreciative.

The part that brings her the most joy is: “I like meeting variety of people, talk about all sorts of things -solve world’s problems during transports. When asked what she has learned: “You always learn patience. You practice more compassion with people. Understand how mobility issues surface and come to light. Find out how limited services are in the community. Seniors can’t get on a bus. Taxis are late. We offer a unique service to these folks.

“Most people are surprised by everything FSR does and has available.”