East Valley non-profit offers free transport to residents who don’t drive

PHOENIX — John Teats recently had a stroke that requires radiation treatments five days a week.

But getting to his appointments hasn’t always been easy. His wife works and isn’t always able to take him.

Now, a non-profit organization called About Care has changed that.

The non-profit is made up of a network of drivers who primarily take elderly and disabled people from the East Valley to their medical appointments at no charge.

“They’re very sweet,” Teats said about the volunteers recently after his radiation treatment at the Ironwood Cancer and Research Center in Gilbert.

“I can’t say enough about how nice they are,” he added. “They’re just so willing to give their time.”

Driver Rea Dias has been volunteering with About Care for the past six years. She said she mostly takes people to their medical appointments and to run errands, such as taking them to the grocery store and helping them buy groceries.

“Wherever people who don’t have transportation need to go, we take them,” she said.

Occasionally, she helps clients do things around the house.

“One time, there was a blind person and I read her mail to her,” she said.

An estimated 150 people who volunteer their time with About Care don’t get paid for the gas they use to transport clients.

But Dias said the friendships she develops with clients and the feeling she gets from helping people is more than enough payment.

“I do this because of the instant gratification I get,” she said. “The people really appreciate what you’re doing.”

In June 2006, About Care was founded by Barbara and Buzz Bradley after they saw a need for support services for the elderly and physically-challenged residents in Chandler. They started providing services in Chandler and then expanded to Gilbert and most recently to Queen Creek.

Most of their funding comes from city grants.

“Our goal is to allow people to remain independent in their own homes as long as possible, avoiding the long term costs of assisted living,” said Ann Marie McArthur, CEO of About Care.

McArthur said the organization serves about 450 clients in the East Valley. Volunteers primarily take the clients to their medical appointments or to run errands, and they occasionally do minor home repairs. The services offered also include friendly visits, weekly phone calls to check on the clients’ welfare, and computer assistance.

She said as the demand for services increases, the need for volunteers is a constant battle.

“We’re always trying to get more volunteers to help us,” she said.

For information about the requirements to volunteer, visit About Care’s website.

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