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The days may be short, but SCM knows how to add some sunshine to the winter: Provide warm, safe transportation! Thanks to our friendly, door-to-door service, our riders don't wait curbside in the cold. No matter what the weather is like, SCM greets each individual at his or her doorway and escorts them back and forth to the vehicle. This also provides extra protection against slips and falls when walking outdoors. Our number one priority is SAFETY, which is why we're excited to have equipped every driver with funny-looking Yaktrax for their feet, as you'll read about here. We're also thrilled to introduce a new service for seniors, Paul's Ride, for those who wish to visit loved ones in the hospital. The bears may be hibernating, but SCM is as active as a hive of honeybees, determined to see you through to the spring.
Best,
Reed Cochran
Executive Director |
Congratulations to Hector Rodriguez, awarded the quarterly Kinsey Award for excellence by his peers. For over 10 years Hector has been one of SCM's hardest working and most respected drivers. That's saying a lot! Hector is also a Driver Trainer, tasked with making sure that every new recruit adopts SCM's professional standards. You can always find Hector helping our new team members, whether relaying to them his experience at SCM or carefully going over their routes with them. His great attention to detail and safety is matched only by his warmth and never-ending courtesy, even in the most difficult situations. Some folks refer to him as our "snake charmer." For his commitment to serving others, we'd like to tell Hector, "Felicitaciones!" Thank you, Hector.
By Scott Fleming, SCM Office Manager |
SCM is a non-profit organization that gratefully accepts donations from riders and fans. You can mail us a contribution at the below street address, or click here to give via Network for Good. | |
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 SCM is teaming up with Images Speak (www.imagesspeak.com) to sell and auction art online. Artists benefit from increased exposure and sales... and SCM benefits because some of the proceeds go to support our organization. We'd love to show off the work of our community's seniors and persons with disabilities. Interested? Contact Scott Fleming at sfleming@scmtransportation.org. |
| SCM's New Service :
Paul's Ride |
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This January, SCM launched a brand new service: Paul's Ride. Names after our beloved former Executive Director, Paul A. Plato, this service provides trips for those who want to visit their loved ones in the hospital or nursing home. Before now, we've not been able to fully address this critical need, and we are thrilled that now we can.
Paul, a former parish priest who became a social worker and advocate for social and economic justice, died of cancer in June, 2005. According to members of SCM's  staff, the new service is a perfect way to memorialize a man that many considered to be the heart of SCM. Plato was well-known for going above and beyond to meet community needs for transportation.
Perhaps this is why, more than two years after Plato's death, SCM's staff and the communities served by Plato remember him so fondly. Jessica Flaherty, Director of Elder Affairs for the City of Medford said, "More than a gentleman, Paul Plato was a gentle man. As a former priest, he considered his job in transportation to be a form of ministry. Transportation is people, and Paul loved people. He brought a gift of spirituality to everything he did, and when you have someone like that, they are definitely going to leave echoes in your corridors."
Plato's wife, Leah O' Leary, says that his family is truly excited the news. "This was indeed an issue that was near and dear to Paul," said O'Leary. "He would be proud."
If you would like to request a trip with Paul's Ride , call SCM reservations between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays. |
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Medford's Rena Wallace has an awfully busy schedule: This 85-year old retired schoolteacher is booked every day, whether she's volunteering with Tufts for a study on memory, frequenting the Boston Symphony Orchestra ("Just their rehearsals though, because I'm el cheapo!"), tending her tomato plants, or surfing the web. She's also a licensed, practicing and dues paying ham radio operator.
Her most important volunteer activity? Working with first graders to teach them the importance of doctors and hospitals in their lives. Rena's been doing that for fifteen years.
And she does it all without a car. Rena has two preferred modes of transportation. One is her groovy 3-wheeled walker, pictured here. "That's my Harley!" she says. "It's a 4 cylinder!" The other is SCM. SCM helps her achieve even more in her busy life, taking her to the Medford Senior Center, food shopping, and doctor appointments.
Keep on trucking, Rena! |
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On January 2, 2008, the price of crude oil hit $100 per barrel for the first time in history. Just one year ago, the price hovered around $56 per barrel. For transportation companies like SCM, this is scary, scary news! How will SCM respond? First and foremost, we'll keep raising money to cover our increasing costs.
 We're paying special attention to basic things like tire inflation, which helps us conserve gas. We drive slower when we can. We don't idle the vehicles any more than necessary.
Other than that, we're as vulnerable to the moody market as you are. Long term, we hope the we can find ways to take advantage of new technologies that reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. If none of this works, well there's always the Flintstones' solution. Yabba Dabba Doo! |
 What are those funny looking things we're wearing on our feet? YakTrax! These wire and rubber shoe covers are slip-ons that keep you from sliding. Once they are strapped on our drivers' feet, they act much like snow chains do on tires. They keep us stable when walking in the ice and snow. Which keeps our drivers - and the riders we escort- that much safer. Seniors are buying them, too. At least one study has shown that they substantially reduces falls when used by elders. Get yourself a pair! For more information visit www.yaktrax.com. | |
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