On the road with RickSince retiring from his job as a papermaker, Rick Allen has been a devoted Red Cross volunteer with the Senior Transportation Program in Dryden, Ontario, driving anywhere and anytime he was asked. In fact, since 2010, Rick has driven more than 31,000 kilometres for the program.
The program in Dryden is unique because, in addition to providing services locally, residents are often required to travel long distances to get to medical appointments. Even trips to Thunder Bay more than four hours away are needed. In these cases, the long days could even mean that volunteers must stay overnight and return to Dryden the following day.
Rick’s clients think he’s just wonderful, and it’s easy to understand why. He has a calm and polite demeanor, and always goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He not only drives many of our long distance trips, but also brings the Red Cross vehicle back washed with tire pressure checked and the oil changed!
“My wife doesn’t understand how I can do these long road trips, because I don’t usually say much at home,” laughed Rick. In spite of being a man of few words, the long road trips are always filled with conversation and music.
When he’s not volunteering for the Red Cross, Rick enjoys fishing and the outdoors. He says the satisfaction and gratitude from his clients are what keeps him coming back. He says as long as he’s making people happy, he's going to keep doing this for as long as he can.
During National Volunteer Week, the Red Cross thanks Rick and the thousands of other volunteers just like him who help to improve the lives of vulnerable people in our communities.