Transportation is FREE. We do not charge for our service. However, parking fees are the clients responsibility (at time of service). We do welcome donations. All contributions are tax deductible.
We ask for at least 7 days’ notice before your appointment.
Many criteria determine the schedule. Most important is simply the date and time of your appointment. It is easier to find a volunteer to drive between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Where you live and where you are going is also important. We try to find a driver close to you. Volunteers may accept or decline any ride for any reason.
We confirm all appointments/Volunteer Drivers availability on the Friday of the week before the appointment. It is important for a client to try to have a “fallback” strategy, since we cannot guarantee that we can find a volunteer driver in every case. This is a requested service, (provided by giving and caring Volunteers) not a demanded one.
Telephone 404-377-2273. You must be 55 years of age or older, live in DeKalb County, and unable, for financial or medical reasons, to use other transportation services. You must be able to walk, even if you need assistance. We will ask you some questions over the phone when you call to register to see if we can accept you as a client. Sometimes we will refer you to another agency.
Telephone 404-377-2273. A staff member will talk to and mail (or email) information to read and consider before you make a commitment to volunteer. You must agree to provide your own automobile, pay for gasoline, keep your auto insurance current, and abide by I CARE’s rules. You will be asked for references, and we will ask you to visit our offices for a personal interview.
Empathy for older people, excellent communications skills, patience, strong ethical standards, honesty, punctuality, and a caring and understanding person. Our Volunteer Drivers are Companions to our clients.
Two to Three hours per round-trip. Some may be less. We try to determine the estimated time and distance (from the time the volunteer leaves his/her home until the client is returned home) when we take the ride request, so that the Volunteer is aware of the time he/she needs to set aside.
We ask our clients to limit the roundtrip distance from home to a doctor’s office or grocery store to 25 miles. The distance to the medical facility or grocery store could impact Driver availability.
Volunteers tell us how often they wish to drive. It ranges from once a week to once a month. A volunteer may increase or decrease his/her ride commitments per month and they may also take a leave of absence for a vacation or for other reasons. The Volunteer’s schedule sets the time commitment involved with driving our clients.
