LAGUNA BEACH : Volunteer’s Work Gives Others a Lift

More than eight years after she helped jump-start the senior citizens’ transportation service called “Sally’s Fund,” friends say Jane Mortimer continues to provide the energy that keeps the program rolling.

“I couldn’t even begin to imagine how many hours she gives to Sally’s Fund,” said Donna McCullen, coordinator of the Laguna Beach Senior Center. “It would be virtually dead in the water if it wasn’t for the work Jane does.”

Mortimer volunteers about 35 hours each week to run the organization, which was initially created to meet the emergency needs of seniors. Two other Laguna Beach residents helped establish the program--Walter von Gremp, who provided the original funding, and Trudi Oster. The organization was named in honor of Von Gremp’s mother.

What they quickly learned, Mortimer said, was that transportation was the primary need for many seniors, some of whom had no way to accomplish chores such as grocery shopping or keeping a doctor’s appointment.

“These are people who otherwise would really fall between the cracks,” Mortimer said. “They can’t ride dial-a-ride or the city bus. They need door-to-door assistance.”

Today, about 125 people are on the Sally’s Fund’s “active file,” Mortimer said. The goal of the nonprofit organization is to help seniors so they can remain in their homes for as long as possible, she said. Those who can afford it pay for the service, Mortimer said, but most have low incomes.

In addition to helping with chores such as banking, Sally’s Fund volunteers arrange social outings once a month. Shut-ins receive phone calls and home visits.

“The program is unique in all of Orange County so far as we know,” Mortimer said. “No one else is doing this.”

Mortimer is also a member of the city’s Human Affairs Committee and Human Needs Council and the senior outreach program at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Once a week, she helps feed the needy at a city park, and when the temperature drops, she works as a volunteer at the city’s cold weather shelter.

For further information about Sally’s Fund, call (714) 494-4451.