Don’t let the name fool you: Senior Services of Island County Volunteer Chore Program is anything but a chore, said volunteer Lora Mitchell.

The Volunteer Chore program offers help to the elderly and disabled in the form of rides to and from medical appointments and, on some occasions, help around the house and with yard care, allowing seniors to live independently.

“The beauty of this is you’re in charge of the schedule. There’s a lot of flexibility,” she said.

Mitchell enjoys being able to help others in her community.

“It is so rewarding,” she said.

A former nurse, Mitchell learned of the program after she began helping an elderly neighbor with errands. She approached the Senior Center about the need for such a program and was told she was in luck; Senior Services already had a program called Volunteer Chore, and put her in contact with coordinator Pat Weekley. That was six years ago, and Mitchell has been driving for the program ever since.

“Our volunteers are all so dedicated,” Weekley said of the Volunteer Chore drivers. “We help seniors remain independent, in their home, for as long as possible.”

Treva Carter, a recipient of the Volunteer Chore program, said most people she knows no longer drive off the island anymore and that finding transportation to medical appointments is a major concern for seniors.

She first heard about the service from her doctor, who told Carter that she needed to travel to Bellingham for glaucoma and cataract surgery.

“I told him that traveling to Bellingham may be a hardship,’ she said.

The surgery also required ten post-surgery, follow-up visits. Because Carter is not able to drive until she receives the OK from her doctor, she depends on the Volunteer Chore drivers to take her to and from her medical appointments.

“It’s been a blessing to have volunteers willing to do that” she said. “There are many of us who have medical appointments off island, and it poses a problem,” she said.

The need for this program is tremendous, said Weekley. Drivers traveled a total of 75,000 miles during 2007, which included a combined 4,500 hours of volunteer service during the same year.

Senior Services requires a valid Washington driver’s license, driving records check, background check and proof of insurance before a volunteer can start driving Volunteer Chore clients.

The state and federally funded program, which also relies on grant money and donations, is being stressed by a drop in volunteers and increases in gas prices. Although drivers are compensated for gas and the wear and tear on their car, the decline in drivers continues.

As of late, Weekley has had to turn away riders: Seven during August alone.

“That doesn’t make me a happy camper,” she said. “How do you decide who gets the trip?”

Half way through September, more than 100 trips filled the Volunteer Chore schedule for the month — with many more expected.

Many drivers, who are seniors themselves, travel south for the winter, said Weekley, leaving her increasingly concerned about having enough volunteers to support the program’s growing popularity among island seniors.

“We’re already short,” she said.

In Oak Harbor, there are only seven drivers.

“It’s not enough. If any of those drivers are away, it just doesn’t make it.”

Ron Wilson, a volunteer for six years, drives several times a week. The retired General Electric physicist moved from New York to Oak Harbor with his wife and wanted to do something to fill his time.

“I wanted to do something constructive,” he said.

Wilson responded to an ad he saw in the newspaper about the Chore Program six years ago and now drives “to Seattle to Bellingham, and everything in between,” he said.

“Pat Weekley is a real hero,” Wilson said of Weekley’s dedication to the program. “She does a very nice job of it.”

For volunteer opportunities with Volunteer Chore, contact Pat Weekley at 360-678-4886 or 360-321-6661 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.