STARS Volunteers Featured in the News
Article and Video by Steele Haugen - Central Oregon Daily Reporter
Volunteer Driver Jim Morrell and passenger Barbara Barnett
SISTERS, Ore. -- Sisters Transportation and Ride Share (STARS) helps older folks with crucial, free transportation.
"I used to be quite independent and I always managed to care for myself," said 86-year-old Sisters resident Barbara Barnett. "Then I started having health issues like a lot of us do."
Barnett is one of several Sisters residents who rely heavily on STARS, the only all-volunteer, non-emergency medical transportation service in Oregon.
"We have dispatchers that take calls from our passengers like Barbara," said STARS executive Director Rennie Morrell. "Barbara says I need a ride to my appointment. The dispatcher puts it in the computer, which gets shoved to all our electronic drivers."
Morrell says this program started due to a survey highlighting the need for more medical transportation in Sisters. That, combined with seeing her own father's struggle as he aged, motivated her to run STARS.
"If they have time, they want to do it," Morrell said. "They like Barbara. They will accept that, right? They will call her. They will tell her I'm your driver and pick you up. They take her. They bring her back. They wait for an appointment. So it's a neighbor-to-neighbor transaction at that point."
Transportation in rural areas is challenging. Many people skip medical treatment because they can't get there. STARS is proving that volunteers can make a big difference.
Rides are free, but donations are encouraged.
"We need drivers constantly," said STARS Driving Manager John Finley. "We're growing so dramatically. Last year, we had maybe 55 rides a month or so. This year, we've been doing 90 or 100 rides a month in the last couple of months. So we need drivers. And how do people get to."
STARS has grown from six volunteers to 60 since 2018. The nonprofit relies on grants and donations to keep its work going.
"Other people in the community, even if they don't need it yet," said Barnett. "It's a great place to donate because they might need it someday like I do."
Link to Video Sisters Transportation and Ride Share create free rides for the elderly in need
