Redmond’s Myers takes over director spot at Eastside Friends of Seniors
Published 3:15 pm Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Two years ago, Redmond City Council member Hank Myers was doing volunteer work in his community when he proposed the idea of creating a nonprofit organization to help seniors maintain their independence by providing essential services that allow them to remain in their own homes.
“My friend said that agency already exists,” Myers recalled. “That’s when she told me about Eastside Friends of Seniors (EFS).”
Myers is the new director of the volunteer organization that operates out of offices in the basement of the Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church on the Sammamish Plateau.
The organization provides seniors free rides to medical appointments and helps them with shopping and basic home maintenance. The agency hopes to offer services to seniors in Redmond when the number of volunteers matches the demand for services in the community.
Last year, volunteers with EFS drove more than 20,000 miles transporting seniors to medical appointments and to the grocery store. Groups of volunteers have cleaned yards, done simple repairs and built ramps for residents in isolated areas of the community.
There are no financial requirements to become a client. The free services from EFS are available to any resident of the service area at least 60 years old.
Myers was involved with the airline industry for more than 40 years as a recognized expert on the economics of transportation as well as strategy development. He has won numerous civic awards for his contributions on transportation issues.
Myers told board members that he hopes to utilize the connections he has made in the public and private sectors during his decades of public service to help the agency expand its reputation with civic organizations and corporations that provide grants to nonprofit agencies.
“We do great work as an agency,” Myers said. “It’ll be my job to maintain the momentum we’ve created so we can serve even more seniors.”
For more information about becoming a volunteer or a client of EFS, visit www.eastsidefriendsofseniors.org or call (425) 369-9120.
