The Healing Power of Helping Others
How one New Growth Transit driver found connection and purpose through rural public transportation
When Richard from Dallas County first saw New Growth Transit on Facebook, he thought about calling to ask for rides.
Instead, he bought a car and signed up to drive.
“I was bored, needed something to do,” Richard said with a laugh. “And here I am.”
These days, Richard spends his time helping rural neighbors get where they need to go: medical appointments, errands, and important trips that often aren’t possible without reliable transportation.
But somewhere along the way, something else happened too.
The rides started helping him.
Before becoming a volunteer driver, Richard had spent years working physically demanding jobs, first as a brick mason and later driving trucks until a back injury changed the course of his life. He found himself spending more time alone while dealing with complicated life challenges. Eventually, he started looking for purpose and connection.
Volunteering gave him both.
Why Richard Drives
“What do I enjoy the most? Meeting people. Getting out of the house,” he said. “You feel better after you help somebody.”
Richard says the program has become more than volunteer work. It has helped him stay active, stay connected, and keep moving forward in life.
“For me, it’s good therapy,” he explained. “Being able to get out there and talk to folks… it helps a lot.”
That kind of healing through purpose is something New Growth Transit sees often among volunteer drivers who make this kind of rural public transportation possible. In communities where traditional bus systems are impractical, New Growth Transit provides a flexible transportation network that connects residents to medical care, work, groceries, and other essential destinations.
In rural Missouri, where medical appointments can easily require driving 50 or even 100 miles round-trip, transportation is more than convenience. It can determine whether someone gets care at all.
Richard has already seen firsthand how much the rides matter.
“People really appreciate it,” he said. “There’s just not a lot of options out there.”
One rider in particular has stayed on his mind — a woman recovering from a serious injury who lives way out in the country. Like many drivers in the New Growth Transit network, Richard has found that transportation is about more than getting from one place to another. The rides create connection, reduce isolation, and help neighbors remain engaged in community life. Over time, many of those rides turn into friendship and conversation.
“She brightens up my day,” Richard said. “She says I brighten up hers too.”
That human connection is at the heart of the volunteer driver model. Drivers are not simply taking people from one destination to another. They provide access to essential services across long distances where no fixed-route public transportation exists. They also help reduce isolation, offer reassurance, and strengthen the kind of neighbor-to-neighbor support rural communities have always depended on.
Why Volunteer
Richard says he would encourage anyone who enjoys people and wants a reason to get out of the house to consider volunteering.
“Life slows down a little when you get older,” he said. “If you like meeting people, go for it.”
Even as ongoing back pain makes some days difficult, Richard continues driving because he believes the work matters.
“I think New Growth is a great thing,” he said. “We’re helping folks out.”
New Growth Transit is a rural public transportation system serving communities across west central Missouri through a volunteer driver network designed specifically for rural realities. Instead of costly fixed routes or empty buses, the system connects riders to essential destinations through community-based transportation that is flexible, efficient, and built around actual local needs.
Volunteer drivers choose when and how much they want to drive and receive mileage reimbursement intended to offset vehicle costs.
Volunteer as a driver and set your own schedule while helping neighbors in need.
📞 417-283-7991
🌐New Growth Transit
Can’t volunteer? Donations help reimburse the miles generously provided by volunteer drivers.
Together, we’re helping rural neighbors stay connected, one mile at a time.