Spring Appeal 2006
Dear Friend:
What if you or a member of your family needed to get to an important medical appointment? You would jump into your car and drive to the doctor or hospital. But, imagine if you couldn’t.
Some local elders don’t have to imagine this scenario…it’s their reality. Many seniors in our communities aren’t able to arrange their own transportation to crucial medical appointments. These seniors shouldn’t have to miss their appointments—and consequently risk their health—because they don’t have a ride or can’t afford the taxi fare. And, frankly, they don’t have to.
Mystic Valley Elder Services (MVES) helps local elders find reliable transportation to necessary medical appointments. But, we need help to continue this important service. That is why I’m asking you to make a charitable donation to support our medical transportation program. Your donation, regardless of the amount, will help ensure that an elder who has nowhere else to turn gets a safe ride to and from a medical appointment.
Please know that your support will be whole-heartedly appreciated, not only by MVES but also by the seniors receiving the transportation services. Here are a few examples that will show you some of the people that you’ll be helping:
Mrs. R is 80 years old and cares for her husband who suffers from renal failure and uses a wheelchair to get around. She was driving Mr. R to and from dialysis treatments three times per week until she experienced a scare. After Mrs. R nearly got into a car accident she no longer felt comfortable driving and worried that her husband wouldn’t get to his treatments. MVES arranged a wheelchair-accessible van to take Mr. R to and from his dialysis appointments.
Ms. M had been driving herself to her own chemotherapy treatments until her doctor advised her against this practice. After undergoing a particularly draining six-hour treatment, Ms. M accepted her doctor’s advice and agreed that she would no longer drive herself. With her only daughter abroad and her best friend without a driver’s license, Ms. M didn’t know who would take her to her treatments. MVES arranged a taxi service to provide her with transportation to the hospital for her chemotherapy.
Mr. and Mrs. L were really shaken up when Mr. L was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Just a few months later, doctors told Mrs. L that she had cancer and would need to begin radiation treatments. Mr. and Mrs. L were both unable to drive and couldn’t afford to pay for private transportation services. Feeling overwhelmed, Mrs. L turned to MVES for help. MVES was able to provide Mrs. L with rides to her radiation treatments and provide assistance to the couple in coping with Mr. L’s Alzheimer’s disease.
I hope that these stories demonstrate just how important reliable transportation is to many elders in our area communities. If these people didn’t have MVES to look to for help, they likely would have been forced to miss potentially lifesaving medical appointments.
Please consider a gift of $25, $50, or $100 to support MVES’ medical transportation program. Regardless of the amount you decide to contribute, your generosity will make a difference. Your support will ensure that an elder who needs a ride to a medical appointment gets one.
To make giving to MVES even more convenient for you, this spring we’re offering the option to make your secure contribution on our web site. Donate Now and easily make your gift online. Your information will be safe and confidential. If you choose to donate using the online giving option during May or June, you will be entered into a contest to win a pair of tickets to see a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park!
Whether you decide to donate to MVES’ medical transportation program by sending a check in the mail or giving online with your credit card, every dollar of your gift will be used to support this important program. If you’d like to make a donation in honor or in memory of a loved one, please let us know. We will send a special acknowledgment of your donation to the person(s) of your choice, keeping the amount of your gift confidential.
I’m proud that MVES has been able to provide advice, support, and solutions to elders, families, and caregivers for the past 30 years. With your help, I know we’ll be able to continue our services for another 30 years and beyond. A partnership between MVES and community members like you will allow us to successfully continue supporting elders’ rights to live independently—with dignity—in a setting of their own choice.
Please know that your gift will help the people who need it the most. Thank you for your support and confidence in our work!
Sincerely,
Daniel J. O’Leary
Executive Director
PS: Your tax-deductible contribution will make a difference in real people’s lives. Make that gift online today at www.mves.org and have a chance to win a pair of Red Sox tickets.
