Volunteer Driver Helen Crowder Honored at Missouri State Capitol

Helen Crowder, a volunteer driver for New Growth Transit, was honored as a recipient of a Show Me Service Award at the Missouri State Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City on April 21, 2026.

This award celebrates and highlights the service and volunteerism Missourians provide to strengthen their communities and improve quality of life. At New Growth Transit, we are proud that Helen was selected for this state wide honor!

Helen has been a top volunteer driver for several years in a row, earning this recognition after driving more than 44,000 miles in 2025, more than 3,500 miles a month, to help rural residents reach medical appointments and, as funding allowed, jobs, grocery stores, and other essential destinations.

In rural Missouri, those miles matter.

Accessing medical services can mean long distances, communities are spread far apart, and transportation options are limited for residents who aren’t able to drive themselves. The average distance for medical care in rural Missouri ranges from 24 miles to 72 miles one way. For a rural resident, a ride can determine whether someone gets care, meets daily needs, or simply goes without. For many riders, the experience goes far beyond transportation.

Helen says being a volunteer driver often starts with listening.

“I just let the people talk. Let them tell me their stories,” Helen said. “A lot of my riders live alone and don’t have anyone to talk to. Or they might feel nervous on the way to a medical appointment. The ride is an opportunity to help them feel calmer before they get there.”

That approach shapes every trip. A ride becomes a conversation. A stressful appointment begins with reassurance. A routine trip offers social connection.

Helen says she enjoys driving and values the flexibility of volunteering, which allows her to set her own schedule while receiving mileage reimbursement, currently $0.70 per mile, to cover costs. While the reimbursement is helpful, she said purpose and the joy of helping others drive her commitment.  

And that care and joy show up in the little things.

Helen is known for her steady, reassuring presence, but also for the way she brings a bit of joy along for the ride. During Halloween, she decorates her vehicle, sometimes placing a skeleton in the back seat, often dressed in Kansas City Chiefs gear. Her love for the Chiefs shows throughout her car, and during the holidays, she has been known to stop by the New Growth Transit office with homemade cookies to brighten the staff’s day.

It’s those small, thoughtful touches that reflect who Helen is, not just as a driver, but as someone who genuinely cares about the people around her.

The New Growth Transit team says the recognition reflects both Helen’s dedication and the vital role volunteer drivers play for residents in rural Missouri.

New Growth Transit coordinates rides through a network of volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles to provide on-demand transportation. This helps fill a critical gap in rural areas, where public transportation is limited, often requires long travel times and inflexible schedules, or is simply unavailable, especially for medical appointments in neighboring metro areas.

But what Helen reminds us is that this work is about more than transportation.

Her 44,000 miles in 2025 represent hundreds of rides and hundreds of moments where someone felt a little less alone, a little more at ease, and a little more supported.

At New Growth, we are incredibly proud to be part of the way people like Helen are able to give back in such a meaningful way. Her service reflects the heart of this program: neighbors helping neighbors, showing up, and making sure no one has to go without.

“Helen represents the very best of what this program is about,” said New Growth Transit Chief Mobility Officer Kelly Ast. “We’re proud she can take something that seems small, like giving a ride, and make a difference for people in her community in a big way.”

Her recognition at the Capitol is a big honor, but to the people she serves every day, Helen has been making a difference all along.