| | Published September 14th, 2011
| A New Day for Newsong
| | Laurie Snyder |  | | Eartha Newsong, who retired recently from her role as the coordinator of Orinda Seniors Around Town, will continue to volunteer for this important community service. Photo Tod Fierner
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Many Orinda residents were surprised to learn that Eartha Newsong retired recently from her role as the coordinator of Orinda's Seniors Around Town program. Newsong, who was feted at a retirement luncheon September 1st, was kind enough to share her thoughts about her life in public service just after that celebration.
Newsong's role with Seniors Around Town was a natural progression from a professional life devoted to helping others. As a young nurse, she served as a volunteer medical missionary in Pakistan where she honed her organizing abilities while operating a clinic for mothers and babies. Performing nurse midwife and other duties for more than ten years, she helped to improve the quality of life for many who might not otherwise have received medical care. Many that she brought into this world have thrived and gone on to start families of their own.
Returning to the United States in her early 50s, Newsong dedicated the remainder of her professional life to improving public health in California.
A vibrant resident of the Orinda Senior Village, Newsong did not take her retirement sitting down. Because she did not own a car, she was a walker and stayed in shape. She quickly realized, though, that others were not so fortunate.
Seniors who were less mobile were finding their lack of access to transportation to be a huge issue. Many who were no longer able to drive were not only unable to make it to important appointments, they were missing out on opportunities to remain vital by socializing.
Community leaders also noticed this gap in Lamorinda's transportation system and how it affected Orinda's seniors. So they sought out the help of Kate Wiley, the catalyst behind many important community initiatives, to spearhead the development of the 2004 pilot project.
Newsong, then 72 years young, learned of Wiley's need for help in 2005 and came on board as a volunteer, eventually rising to become one of the program's major voices.
Seniors Around Town, which had only five riders in 2005, has flourished since then. With major funding generated annually by the Orinda Car Show, the program now supports 120 regular riders with roughly 200 more registered for the service. Volunteers use their own cars to provide free door-to-door transportation for riders (see sidebar).
Newsong, when asked about her role, shooed away attempts at praise, describing herself simply as "a glorified dispatcher." She steadfastly refused to take credit for any program accomplishments, preferring instead to shine the spotlight on the more than 40 people now volunteering as drivers. "My job was simply to arrange the rides."
She was also responsible for the data entry and other record keeping - tasks that are key to maintaining any efficiently run volunteer operation, particularly one that serves vulnerable populations such as elderly men and women.
What is also evident was Newsong's knack for matching drivers with riders. As a nurse, Newsong was adept at assessing the condition of seniors requesting help, and was able to ensure that those who were paired with volunteer drivers would be the ones who could benefit most from this program.
Newsong, skilled at training others from her clinic management experiences, was also able to prepare drivers for what they could expect with the individual seniors they would be transporting.
"Over the years there's been the most extraordinary synchronicity," she said when asked to recall how she matched volunteers with senior riders. "It wasn't totally random; I did have an idea of who would be the right driver. More often than not, by accident or by the sheer grace of God, it would be the perfect match."
Those who were fortunate to interact with Newsong will be happy to know that, although she chose to retire now, her health is good and she remains a vital voice in Lamorinda. She promises that she will still volunteer, and wanted to extend her thanks to everyone involved with Seniors Around Town:
"I got as much out of it as I put in and probably more. It was a wonderful gift to me," she said. "It kept me from being an isolated senior. It got me involved in the local community." Expressing her clearly heartfelt gratitude at "meeting the greatest volunteer people in the community" and "sharing the office with other great volunteer people," she said, "It was a win-win situation. I gave to it, and it gave to me."
One can only imagine how much poorer Orinda would be had Newsong chosen to share her new song with a different community instead of our own.
Seniors Around Town
Seniors Around Town gives a lift to Orinda seniors who might otherwise be homebound. This Orinda Association program pairs seniors who are no longer able to drive or use the County Connection LINK system with volunteers who provide door-to-door transportation for grocery runs, doctors' appointments, and other errands from Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Riders must be 65 years of age or older unless they have medical conditions which limit their ability to drive, and must not rely solely on wheelchairs for mobility. (Individuals who do not meet these requirements may still be able to receive guidance from the Seniors Around Town office, which maintains a list of area transportation resources.)
Following registration, which enables senior riders to be assessed and matched with drivers, riders may call the Seniors Around Town office up to 48 hours in advance to request free rides to Lamorinda, Berkeley, and Walnut Creek.
Drivers must be 21 years of age or older with a valid driver's license and access to a safe and reliable insured vehicle ($100,000/$300,000 minimum; functional seatbelts). Anyone interested in volunteering to drive must bring his/her license, registration, and certificate of insurance at the time of volunteer registration, and will be required to participate in an orientation and training program upon completion of the required background clearance: a clean DMV record, digital fingerprinting (LiveScan), and verification that the volunteer driver has had no statewide history of criminal behavior (violent crimes, sexual offenses, child molestation) or DUIs within the past three years.
Volunteer drivers are always needed, and seniors who may be sitting home rather than remaining active are encouraged to inquire about participating in the program.
For more information, call the Seniors Around Town Office: (925) 402-4506, or visit the organization's web site: www.orindaassociation.org/serniorsaroundtown.htm.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA