Driving for FISH

Editor:
Dear Editor.

Each year FISH provides about 2500 rides to medically related appointments. It is a service we provide for our Sonoma Valley/Glen Ellen residents. Our ride requests are for local and out of town rides, covering requests for life sustaining doctor, dental, and physical therapy appointments . With so many services out of town, we have additional ride requests to help people get to chemo/radiation treatments, lab, and medical testing facilities. There are ride requests for people having procedures, covering the hospital requirement, for a ride home accompanied by some one. We also provide 137 life saving rides for dialysis each month, covering 3 rides per week per patient. We get requests from new clients every week, and more of our requests are for out of town rides and multiple rides per month.

FISH has 36 active, dedicated, generous, caring drivers, mostly retired people and many are elderly. However, not all of our drivers are available each week. With so many new requests coming in each week and on going doctor and physical therapy appointments each week, FISH needs many more drivers. Some of our clients speak only Spanish, so we could also drivers who speak Spanish. We have recently developed a short training program for people interested in becoming a driver. If you have some free time and would like to join us in helping people who can not get to their necessary medical appointments please call FISH at 996-0111 and register for one of our training sessions. We have scheduled them for July 24th at 1:30 p.m. and July 30th at 10:30 a.m. All training will take place at FISH Central, 18330 Sonoma Highway, entrance is via Sierra Drive. We hope one of these dates will fit into your schedule.

FISH is also looking for another ride finder. At present there are 4 ride finders. We volunteer one week a month, and cover each other as needed. We match clients with our drivers and handle ride related problems. The amount of time you spend booking rides depends on the volume of ride requests. Please contact FISH if you would like to join our ride finders in helping people get to their medical appointments. We would welcome the help.

You will be rewarded knowing you have helped someone get to their much needed medical appointment whether it is life sustaining or helping to improve their quality of life. Our clients are always so grateful and thankful there is someone who cares enough to help them, and this will bring joy to your heart .

FISH is also studying the fiscal possibility to offer dialysis services here in town. If you can use the services of a dialysis unit here in town, or would like to join us in this project, please email us at SonomaFish@gmail.com

As always FISH appreciates the generous support of the individuals, businesses, organizations and foundations within Sonoma Valley. Together we enhance the quality of life for many of our friends in our valley who do not have transportation perhaps are too ill or alone and rely on the help for others.

Ridefinders,

Jerri Sheehan
Louise Biefelt
Carol Hanna
Constance Winslow
Sandy Piotter
Sonoma