Joe Majsak was both a TRA volunteer driver and member of the Board of Directors. Each week Joe set aside Tuesday and Thursday to drive older adults to their medical appointments. He and his wife, Anne, hosted a summer TRA BBQ for several years, including TRA’s 10th Anniversary. Coming from a long career at Gen Re, Joe made sure that the TRA (then known as WestFair Rides) Board formed a Risk Management Committee, which he chaired.
Joe provided 713 trips to medical appointments and drove 11,300 miles in a total of 803 hours. His innovations included lanyards and ID photos for drivers. After observing some riders struggling with car doors, Joe found card door support handles to provide the needed assistance.
During an earlier interview Joe spoke about making connections with the people he drove.
“We are a family that likes to drive,” he says, “so I knew I’d like the volunteer work, even on a basic level.” What he also appreciated was having a flexible schedule of his choosing, after many years of a busy career. “The autonomy was very important to me.” Joe continued his work with TRA because of the kind people he has met and the rewarding relationships he developed.
Relationships with fellow volunteers have also been an important part of Joe’s experience as a TRA volunteer. Coffees, movie nights and beer-and-wings nights gave him and his peers a chance to talk about their experiences and to share tips and resources with each other.“We have a real connection to each other: the riders and drivers, and the drivers to each other. We’re a kind group, and a diverse group with different backgrounds and interests. But we’re all comfortable talking. We enjoy people, and we all are compassionate. Those things, we have in common.”
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