Hal Hunter: The Volunteer Whisperer
Darcy Canton describes Hal Hunter as a bulldog. “He sees a need in the community and then chases after it,” she said. Canton would know. As coordinator of the RappMedRides and RappRides volunteer driver programs, she has worked closely with Hunter for years. In fact, she credits him with starting RappRides, the free service that takes people shopping on Fridays.
That’s just one of his many contributions to the community. He’s largely responsible for the opening of the Food Pantry and the launch of Rapp at Home. When Richard Shrout, the nurse navigator for cancer patients at Fauquier Hospital, wanted to revitalize the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program in the region, he asked Hunter for help in recruiting drivers in Rappahannock County. Hunter delivered. More than a dozen people signed up.
He did likewise for VolTran, the volunteer driver service in Fauquier, when it wanted to expand into Rappahannock and northern Culpeper counties. And to help the FAMS Call Center get more exposure throughout the area, particularly in Rappahannock, he designed, printed and distributed marketing pamphlets about the referral service.
Hunter, now 82, says there was nothing special about his recruiting techniques. He would simply place a notice on the RappNet listserv announcing a meeting for people interested in volunteer driving. That there usually was a good turnout was a testament to his high regard as an activist for people in need.
Hunter himself started driving six years ago. “I needed to get out of the house. Volunteering makes me feel good,” he said. He noted that when he recruits drivers, he doesn’t talk much about his own experience. Rather, he focuses on the often desperate needs of county residents who lack transportation. By his own rough estimate, Hunter suggests there could be as many as 500 older people in Rappahannock living alone, and without a way to get around.
“Socially isolated people will say, ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay,’” he said. “Identifying who these people are is difficult. But it’s really important.”