Paying It Forward: Thelma’s Story

After spending 30 years as a licensed practical nurse, caring for both older adults and children in home health settings, helping others had long been part of Thelma Warner’s life.

But a major health event brought a moment of reflection.

After heart surgery and a month in the hospital followed by rehabilitation, Thelma began thinking about what the next chapter of her life might look like. A pastor shared advice that stayed with her: find something meaningful to do—because her work in the world wasn’t finished yet.

Not long after, she found her way to New Growth Transit.

“I look at it as paying it forward,”she said.

Someday, she knows, she may need help getting to appointments herself. For now, while she’s able, she wants to be the one offering the ride.

How It All Started

Thelma’s journey as a driver actually began in a simple way—helping a neighbor.

A man who lived next door needed rides to appointments and errands. One day he told her, “You might as well get paid for it,” and encouraged her to sign up as a driver. That conversation introduced her to volunteer driving and eventually led her to New Growth Transit, where she became one of the program’s early drivers in 2022.

Today, New Growth Transit connects rural residents with rides to essential destinations such as medical appointments, work, and grocery stores. Drivers use their own vehicles and receive 70 cents per mile in reimbursement, helping offset fuel, maintenance, and other vehicle costs.

For Thelma, though, the reimbursement isn’t the main reason she drives.

She does it because people need help getting where they need to go.

Helping Neighbors Get Where They Need to Go

Transportation can be a real challenge in rural communities. Some people can no longer drive. Others are recovering from injuries or temporarily unable to travel on their own.

Even a trip to the grocery store—sometimes just a mile or two away—can become difficult.

But, when medical appointments are frequent and far away, getting there becomes impossible. A ride can mean the difference in getting medical care or going without.

That’s where volunteer drivers step in.

Thelma often takes riders to medical appointments, something she feels comfortable with thanks to her decades of healthcare experience. Having worked in nursing for so many years, she understands medical settings and knows many of the places her riders need to visit in Springfield.

Along the way, she adds small moments that make the trip a little brighter. As they drive through town, she might point out something interesting nearby or share something she has noticed in the community. These small interactions turn a simple ride into a friendly conversation.

For many riders, that social connection is just as valuable as the ride itself.

A Reason to Get Up and Go

Volunteer driving gives something meaningful back to Thelma as well: a sense of purpose.

“Sometimes I wake up and think, ‘Today is Tuesday—I’ve got to take so-and-so to their appointment,’” she said.

Knowing someone is counting on her gives structure to the day.

While riders are at appointments, Thelma often brings along books or her tablet and spends the time reading or studying something new.

“I can read anywhere,” she said. “I could be sitting at home reading. But I may as well be in my car reading while helping someone.”

A Program That Helps Rural Communities Thrive

When asked what might surprise someone most about becoming a volunteer driver, Thelma didn’t hesitate.

“The money kind of surprised me,” she said.

Drivers with New Growth Transit receive 70 cents per mile in reimbursement, which helps offset the cost of fuel, oil changes, and the extra miles that add up ona personal vehicle.

Still, she’s quick to point out that reimbursement isn’t the reason she drives.

“I didn’t do it all for the money,” she said.

Volunteer drivers choose when they’re available and use their own vehicles to help neighbors reach essential destinations like medical appointments, grocery stores, and work. The reimbursement simply helps make it practical to keep saying yes.

For Thelma—and many drivers like her—it’s really about something else: helping people get where they need to go.

Paying It Forward

We’re excited to celebrate Thelma’s 80th birthday this month. While she’s not ready to stop volunteer driving altogether, she says she’d like to focus more on helping people in her own Cedar County community whenever she can. She knows first hand how quickly circumstances can change for someone who suddenly cannot drive.

When asked what she would tell someone thinking about becoming a volunteer driver, her answer was simple.

“If you want to pay it forward, it’s the best way I know to do it.”

And thanks to people like Thelma, neighbors continue helping neighbors—one ride at a time.