With its quirky name, butterfly-emblazoned lemon-yellow buses, and several Cornell faculty and staff serving as volunteers, Gadabout, a United Way agency, helps elderly and disabled residents get around Tompkins County.
"One of the biggest blows for elderly people comes when they have to give up their cars," said John Anderson, professor emeritus of zoology and Gadabout volunteer. "They feel that they've given up their independence. Gadabout fills that need."
A not-for-profit organization, Gadabout is an Ithaca specialty. It is a transportation service for people who experience difficulty reaching the public-transit system, picking them up directly from their homes.
Gadabout was formed as a volunteer effort in 1976. Workers at the county Office of the Aging, Red Cross, elderly housing units, and several other social service groups met to address the inadequacy of the bus system in existence 20 years ago. They had learned that government funding existed to meet the transportation needs of disadvantaged groups, but funding could not be accessed until certain requirements were satisfied. Gadabout emerged to meet those requirements.
Starting with one bus and making 2,000 one-way rider trips the first year, Gadabout now owns 15 buses and makes more than 38,000 trips. The van-sized buses are equipped with wheelchair lifts. About 6,000 of the one-way trips last year were for passengers who use wheelchairs.
Most of the drivers volunteer for one or two half-day shifts weekly. The agency functions on a demand-response basis, serving customers who have called at least the morning of the prior business day.
"We haven't gotten into helicopters yet, but some drivers have suggested it. We could use the speed," said Executive Director Judy Willis, noting the high demand in the community.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) service also contracts with the agency to supplement the public-transit system in Tompkins County by transporting people who reside at least a quarter of a mile from a public-transit route. Gadabout drivers staff the ADA vans Monday through Saturday. Funding from the ADA is augmented by money raised through donations, United Way of Tompkins County and the agency's own direct-mail campaign.
"Most of the people we help can't make great donations," Willis said, "so we get small donations and thank-you letters. People are usually very grateful to the drivers and give them direct feedback."
According to Willis, many volunteers work at Gadabout precisely for this reason -- to help the community directly. They like holding independent jobs where they get to see the result of their efforts immediately, Willis said. They also enjoy meeting the many different people who use the services, from retired professors living at Kendal at Ithaca to residents of more rural parts of Tompkins County.
"It's one of the best things I've done since I retired in 1979," Anderson said. "It's a great thing to be doing. When I heard about it, I wanted to be a part of it."
Anderson is one of several retired Cornell faculty and staff members who volunteer as drivers. The agency requests only a half-day shift per week.
"Ithaca is a good place to recruit people," Willis said. "The people here act on their beliefs of how things should be. They have social responsibility in their heads."
One of Gadabout's greatest challenges, however, lies in this very strength. Although socially conscious, Ithaca suffers from an ever-changing population. Gadabout volunteers come and go often, and most of the time the agency barely has the number of drivers it needs.