Retired transportation economist and Redmond City Councilman Hank Myers was doing volunteer work in his community when he proposed the idea of creating a non-profit 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.”

Two years later, 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.

Eastside Friends of Seniors provides free rides to medical appointments, help with shopping and basic home maintenance that allows seniors to maintain their independence as well as their dignity by allowing them to remain safe and comfortable in their own homes.

The non-profit agency began serving seniors living in Sammamish and Issaquah in 1997 as Faith in Action. The board of directors voted to rebrand itself in 2010 to more closely identify the mission of the organization, the same year after volunteers began providing essential services to residents in the Snoqualmie Valley.

Eastside Friends expanded its area of service to Bellevue in 2011. The organization 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 Eastside Friends of Seniors 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 Eastside Friends of Seniors are available to any resident of the service area at least 60 years old.

Myers has been 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 his 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 non-profit 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 Eastside Friends of Seniors, log on to www.EastsideFriendsofSeniors.org or call 425- 369-9120. Myers can be contacted directly at hank@mtcworld.com.