Elder-Aid, a small, non-profit organization in historic Downtown Bryan, was established in 1990 as an organization to assist the elderly in remaining independent in the community for as long as possible. The founder of Elder-Aid, Sara Loeppert, envisioned an organization that could serve the elderly through home visits and phone calls, as well as transportation when needed.
Since the founding of Elder-Aid, however, the operations and outreaches have expanded to home repairs, utility assistance, and building safe and affordable houses for those that qualify in the community.
Since 1998, nineteen Elder-Aid homes have been constructed, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been distributed to clients through utility assistance. Home repairs have ranged between entirely new roofs on homes, to adjusting a leaky faucet, but all in all, Elder-Aid has sought to serve the elderly of the Brazos Valley, and has made tremendous steps towards success.
Though Elder-Aid could count success in the numbers of homes that have been built or the amount of utility assistance that has been distributed, the organization does not want to neglect some of the most important aspects of the vision, such as home visits, phone calls, and transportation.
Elder-Aid is always in need of volunteers. Though we are able to recruit volunteers for large projects such as repairing roofs or building sheds, we struggle to find volunteers that are available on a daily or weekly basis.
Currently, Elder-Aid is in search of transportation volunteers. In the past, Elder-Aid had a strong transportation program, but recently, the program has dwindled due to a lack of volunteers. Transportation volunteers’ tasks include picking up clients from their homes, and then
driving them to the desired location. Clients need transportation to doctors’ appointments, pharmacies, and sometimes just to the grocery store. A transportation volunteer must have a vehicle, a flexible schedule, and a willingness to serve the elderly of the Brazos Valley.
Although there is a public transportation system in the Bryan/College Station area, the timing of the buses is inconvenient for most clients, and a lot of time is wasted in just waiting for the bus to arrive. With transportation volunteers, Elder-Aid could offer clients personal chauffeurs to and from the clients’ necessary destinations. These volunteers would fill a gap in the community, offering opportunities for better health to the elderly of the Brazos Valley.
Elder-Aid is also looking for volunteers to visit with clients, whether through phone conversations, or at-home visits. Many of the elderly of the Brazos Valley are desperately looking for different ways to spend their time, and they contact Elder-Aid regularly about local events or senior centers. Volunteers have the opportunity to engage with the clients in conversations and boost not only their morale, but also their mental and physical health.
Volunteers have the opportunity to spend their time positively impacting the lives of those around them. The value found in serving others has no price tag. Elder-Aid would love to extend a formal invitation to those considering spending a few hours of their week volunteering with the elderly. Elder-Aid would also like to encourage the community to reach out to us with any questions they have, or if they would like more information about the programs we offer.
For more information regarding the various volunteer opportunities at Elder-Aid, please contact Kim Evans, the Volunteer Coordinator, at kevans@elderaidbcs.org. Or call the office at 979.823.5127.