When Seniors in Service received a call about Greg, an elderly widower who needed help getting an ID, Operation: Veteran Connect member Rosalind stepped up to help. She thought it would be a quick trip to the DMV, but she uncovered a life in quiet crisis.
Greg’s wife had passed away just one week earlier. Grieving and frail, he was surviving only on peanut butter. His sister, the only family he had left, was in Pennsylvania and desperate to bring him to live with her. But without a valid ID, Greg couldn’t fly.
Rosalind helped him search through paperwork to locate the documents he needed, then drove him to the DMV to get his ID. Afterward, she treated him to a warm meal, his first in days. “He was so hungry,” she later shared. “You could just see it.”
When they returned to his house, Rosalind discovered his vital medications hadn’t been delivered. Without hesitation, she took him to the pharmacy herself.
Greg hadn’t traveled in years and was anxious about the trip, so the next day, Rosalind brought him to the airport, walked him inside, and made sure a wheelchair assistant would help him through security. She had just arrived back at her home when the phone rang. His flight was canceled. The flight attendant told her Greg was confused, anxious, and crying uncontrollably. Rosalind knew she couldn’t leave him there alone.
She got back in the car, picked him up, and brought him back to his house so he had a safe, familiar place to sleep. Then, at 4:30 the next morning, she drove him to the airport again, this time staying until he was safely on the plane.
Because of Rosalind, Greg is now in Pennsylvania, in the care of his sister, no longer grieving alone. Her selfless actions remind us that sometimes, the greatest impact comes not from grand gestures but from showing up in simple ways when someone needs you most.
Want to create a big impact with small acts of kindness? Join Operation: Veteran Connect and help veterans like Rosalind make a difference. Email OVC@SeniorsInService.org or click the button to learn more.