(WATERTOWN, NY) – The Volunteer Transportation Center announces it has established a new position to help with recruiting volunteers to provide services to the North Country.
The position of Director of Volunteer Recruitment and Retention has been created after much internal discussion about meeting the need for volunteers. “We, as an organization, regularly discuss ways to improve services for the clients we serve,” said VTC Executive Director Sam Purington. “The discussion that comes up again and again is the need for more volunteers.”
Volunteer drivers to be specific, he said. The VTC provides rides to health care appointments, food sources and other critical needs destinations for residents in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties, with a specific focus on helping those without transportation alternatives. That’s done through volunteers who give of their time to make such trips happen.
“The importance of having volunteers cannot be underscored enough,” said Mr. Purington. “We wouldn’t be able to do what we do for the community if not for the dedication of the volunteers.”
The Volunteer Transportation Center averages approximately 800 trips per day to help people across the tri-county area. The nonprofit organization currently meets that need with approximately 180 volunteers. Despite continued efforts to recruit more volunteers internally with assistance from all VTC staff, it was determined a person dedicated specifically to recruit and retain volunteers was needed.
Terra L. Thompson was named to the position and is a familiar face to the organization. She’s worked for the VTC for nine years, having previously held the positions of Service Director for Jefferson and Lewis Counties, Jefferson-Lewis Program Director, and most recently, Regional Program Director.
“I’m excited about this new position,” said Ms. Thompson. “I have enjoyed a strong relationship with volunteer drivers since my start at VTC. It’s very rewarding to recruit, train and support volunteers in assisting their community in a very meaningful and needed way.”
Ms. Thompson will focus on not only increasing the number of volunteers in the tri-county region but working to ensure volunteers continue to feel “fully supported and appreciated for the service that they are providing.” Ideally, Ms. Thompson said she would like to see the number of volunteers increase by more than one-third, ultimately realizing 240 to 250 volunteers in total.
“Even with this large amount of transportation occurring daily, there are North Country residents that need transportation and cannot obtain it as we don’t have enough volunteers to make it happen,” she said. “ We are continuously looking to recruit volunteers to address the unmet need of transportation to medical appointments for the population we serve.”
Ms. Thompson said she will draw on her experience at the VTC in her new role, building on the relationships she’s already made with volunteers and establishing new ones. “Volunteers are the face of VTC,” she said. “We cannot complete our mission of providing transportation to medical appointments and other essential transport to the residents of the North Country without them. The VTC board members, management staff and employees are very aware of the importance of the Volunteer Drivers and are dedicated to providing outstanding training, support and appreciation to ensure a pleasant experience and partnership with our volunteers.”
Volunteer drivers utilize their own vehicles to transport VTC clients and are reimbursed up to the federal mileage reimbursement rate, which was raised to 72.5¢ per mile on Jan. 1. Volunteers are able to dictate their own availability and whether or not they’d like to perform short-distance or long-distance trips, which include destinations like Syracuse, Rochester and beyond. Ms. Thompson said those who are interested in volunteering can simply reach out to her to see if the VTC would be a good fit for them. “I would ask them to reach out, to connect with me in a conversation so that I can answer their questions, explain our unique organization and the services that we provide and support them at arriving at a decision that could lead to a very fulfilling partnership,” she said.
Those interested in volunteering may reach Ms. Thompson at 315-930-4307 or via email at terra@volunteertransportation.org. She may also be reached through the Watertown office at 315-788-0422 and Canton office at 315-714-2034.
ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION CENTER
The Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc. (VTC), established in 1991, drives thousands of miles each year assisting community members in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties and beyond. Over the last 30 years, this essential non-profit organization has provided rides to health care appointments, food sources and other critical needs destinations for residents.
In 2024, volunteer drivers provided 25,478 charitable trips over 876,509 miles in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence Counties. Of those miles, 318,320 helped those in Jefferson County, 112,852 in Lewis County, and 445,337 in St. Lawrence County. That equated to approximately $438,255 in mileage reimbursement for our volunteers. That’s why the community’s help is so important. Data for 2025 is currently being compiled.
The staff, boards of directors and volunteer drivers look forward to a time when transportation to community activities and services is accessible to all North Country residents regardless of economic or specialized needs. But for now the mission drives on — striving to provide transportation to health, wellness and critical needs destinations utilizing volunteers and mobility management for anyone who has barriers to transportation.
For more information about how you can help the Volunteer Transportation Center, about its upcoming events, or to become a volunteer driver, contact the agency in Jefferson and Lewis Counties at 315-788-0422, in St. Lawrence County at 315-714-2034, or Western New York at 585-250-5030. Volunteers drive their own cars, set their own hours and receive mileage reimbursement but, more importantly, make a difference in the community. To learn more, visit www.volunteertransportationcenter.org.