Meet Irene. What’s her secret to longevity?

Irene has been riding with Muskego Senior Taxi for a while. She loves having the peace of mind, knowing she can call the Taxi, make an appointment for a ride, and a friendly driver will arrive on-time to pick her up and get her to her destination safely. Irene still has her own car and does drive herself around town. But she likes to use the Taxi when she travels and needs to be dropped off at the Amtrak station or the airport without having to leave her car in the parking lot.

And more recently she needed a ride to an appointment while her car was being repaired. She is so grateful that her car being in the shop didn’t stop her from keeping her important appointment. The best part of the Taxi service for Irene is knowing that she is not “locked in” to her home and she can come and go as she needs, even without driving herself. Irene loves getting out using The Taxi and enjoys the independence it provides her. She gets to go where she needs to go while engaging with a lot of different people.

Irene’s been blessed with her wonderful family. She has one daughter and four sons. They all live in various places around the US, but luckily one of her sons lives in the area, so he’s also available to drive her if needed. The Taxi saves her son time and allows all of her children to know that their mother is safe.  Irene also has 16 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

We asked Irene, “What’s your secret to living a long and happy life?” She told us she enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles. She’s a strong believer in doing what we can to keep our minds sharp. She reads quite a bit and sure likes to travel. Having an active life keeps her young.

On behalf of the Muskego Senior Taxi, we thank Irene for sharing her story and encourage you to share it! Muskego Senior Taxi provides rides Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, with the last pick up at 3:30 pm. Call 262-679-4754 or email scheduletaxi@yahoo.com to make an appointment for your next ride!

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Meet Therese!

A Muskego resident for 18 years, Therese is one of Muskego Seniors Taxi’s newest Volunteer Drivers. She had been contemplating joining our team of drivers after seeing our Taxis around the community and being recruited by retired Taxi Board Member, Nancy Kangas. During Lent she made her move and contacted us about driving for The Taxi Service. She thought that Taxi Driving would serve as perfect act of kindness to commit to during Lent. She now finds that volunteering as a driver is not only a great way to give back to her community, but an opportunity to meet new people in our community. Therese says, “Volunteering as a Taxi Driver is turning out to be a really neat experience for me because I get to talk to all of the pleasant clients and get to know them.”Outside of the Taxi, Therese does a lot of volunteer work with her church, such as serving on the Parish Council. As a stay-at-home-mom and former HR Director at the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare System, she spends most of her time managing her household of 4. Her husband is an Attorney at GE Healthcare. Her son just graduated from Muskego Highs School and is heading to UW-Eau Claire in the fall. Her daughter will be a sophomore in the fall at Muskego High School and is a Trinity Irish Dancer, who plans to travel to Germany in July to participate in the International Dance Festival.

Therese, we thank you for sharing some of your free time with Muskego Senior Taxi.  Your generous donation of time and talents supports the many families in the Muskego area who need transportation for attending essential appointments for their overall well-being.  We couldn’t do this without volunteers like you!

Meet the Koeberniks! Where Courtney is Heading to in the Future!

Here at The Taxi, we pride ourselves in offering a bridge to a more independent lifestyle for those who otherwise might be dependent on family alone, primarily young adults with disabilities. In living out our mission, we have been thrilled to observe one of our regular riders blossom into the woman that she is today. After several years of providing trips to camps, theaters, job training, and jobs she has gained the confidence to pursue an education that she would have never otherwise thought of doing. Courtney Koebernik is 27 years old with an intellectual disability—and she will be attending college in the fall.

The Koebernik family has been an active family in Muskego for close to 25 years.  Courtney is one of two adult children in her family; her brother, Jake, lives in Green Bay and they go to visit him often. Courtney lives with her parents and her 2 golden retrievers, Zipper and Keeper in Champions Village. Jill Koebernik, Courtney’s mother, is a retired teacher and Mark Koebernik, Courtney’s father, owns a contracting and construction business. Courtney keeps herself busy playing three sports in Special Olympics (bowling, basketball, and track) and she works at Walgreens and St Vincent DePaul. She just gave up her job at Walgreens to prepare to move on to her next step… college! Courtney will be going to Shepherds College to study culinary arts and learn an independent lifestyle as she will be moving out and into the housing on campus. She will have one or two roommates and will be starting in less than two weeks.

Courtney is extremely excited to go to college. Shepherds College offers three different tracks—culinary, horticulture, and technology—she chose culinary because she loves to bake and cook with her mom and both she and her parents think that this track will allow her to more easily get a job in the future. Courtney will also learn independence as she will study money handling, cleaning, and other daily living skills. In her first year of college, she will stay in the dorms; the second year, she will stay in a house where she will take on meal planning and grocery shopping; the third and final year, she will stay in an apartment where she will be mostly independent. The main goal of the college is to prepare people to become independent. Courtney is ecstatic to learn how to better manage her life and train for a new job there as well as join some of the Special Olympic teams.

Currently, Courtney is waiting for driverless cars to come out so that she can transport herself around… but also worries she might miss all of the taxi drivers. Courtney has been riding with the taxi for 6 years. Jill says, “the taxi afforded Courtney the ability to go out and work in the community, until that point of knowing that she could attend college!” Since the Koeberniks have been working parents, the work shifts that are often given to those with intellectual disabilities are often right in the middle of the work day; the taxi allowed for Courtney to work and develop that sense of independence that she is now building on without interrupting her parents work schedule, says her mother Jill. Jill also praised the comfort that the taxi provides to her as a parent, “it is a service that you know is safe for your child. You know the drivers are going to watch out for your child—the drivers and volunteers are just so caring, which is super important.” Jill has recently joined the Taxi Board to help make sure others can have the great experience Courtney had in the future.

Courtney and her parents hope that she will be able to live an independent life, with only some support. With all of these opportunities that are open to her, some that Muskego Senior Taxi is lucky to say that they have helped to provide, she is working towards that goal. The Taxi Team has been honored to support Courtney’s journey and are hopeful Courtney will continue to reach her goals.

Meet one of our riders- June!

June has had what she referred to as a “blessed life.” She and her husband were married for almost 65 years before her husband passed away, though she tells us that he is still alive in her heart. June and her husband had 3 children together and built their house with their own two hands in 1956 (she even made the mortar!). June has been enjoying her home ever since, she says that she will never leave it no matter how many times her children ask her to! June is 87 years old and spends her time loving and tending to her flowers and watching and feeding the birds in her backyard. She considers herself self-sufficient, but when she needs help moving heavy things her children are just a phone call away. Her children provided her with 6 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, however she spends the most time with her cat, Snuggles. She calls Snuggles “Kitty” most of the time and says he is very demanding and spoiled.

June stopped driving in 2004 when she was diagnosed with Non- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but she beat the odds and today she enjoys using the Muskego Senior Taxi to get around when her children are not available. She found out about The Taxi from the Waukesha County Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) and has been using it since. June says, “I cannot say enough about the Muskego Senior Taxi – it is great!” The Taxi takes June mostly to Walmart about once a week to pick up supplies and get out of the house a bit. June absolutely loves to interact with the drivers. “They are all so pleasant and nice. They don’t just drive, they talk with me, and carry my groceries inside if I ask. It is just so convenient and so pleasant. I have never had an unpleasant time,” she says. June loves getting out in the taxi and the independence it provides her. She gets to go where she needs or wants to go, and she gets to have contact with lots of people. The taxi saves her children time and allows them to know that their mother is safe. June “highly recommends” the taxi to others who need transportation, “There are so many people that care in Muskego and there are so many organizations that you just don’t hear about, so I feel like I need to tell my story.”

On behalf of the Muskego Senior Taxi, we thank June for sharing her story and encourage you to share it! Muskego Senior Taxi provides rides Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, with the last pick up at 3:30 pm. Call 262-679-4754 or email scheduletaxi@yahoo.com to make an appointment for your next ride!

 

Meet Becky!

Becky Dublinski has lived in the area for 45 years! She started as a driver at the Taxi back in 2008 when she was recruited by her neighbor, who also drove for the Taxi. She had been a Library Aid in an Elementary School and drove in the summers prior to retiring. Becky took some time off after 3 years of driving for the Taxi and then came back to drive for us again for another 3 years. When she discovered we had a need for an office volunteer, Becky gave up her driving tenure & transitioned her talents to become a “closer” to help reconcile the end-of-day cash transactions & prepare for the following day.

Becky loved driving for the Taxi – she notes that she’s met the nicest people. Now that she is a closer, she sees it as a good way to keep her mind sharp. In addition to supporting Muskego Senior Taxi, Becky also volunteers at the Muskego Historical Society. She also spends a lot of time, when the weather cooperates, tending her grand flower and vegetable gardens. Becky has 3 daughters and 6 grandchildren. One of her daughters lives in Minnesota, but the rest of the gang is all in the area.

Thank you for your support in both capacities Becky. We appreciate everything you do!

Meet Wayne!

Wayne became a volunteer for Muskego Senior Taxi in 2018 after he was invited by a former Taxi Board Member – Nancy Kangas. Wayne explains that he is happiest doing things because he wants to rather than because it’s required. He volunteers as a Taxi Driver because he enjoys helping people and working with the variety of people who dedicate themselves to the Taxi Mission- both clients and our office staff. They are all so interesting and come from all different backgrounds.

Before coming to volunteer for the Taxi, Wayne retired from a Customer Service role at WE Energies. Besides being a great volunteer, Wayne has lots of other interests including camping in Door County, riding his motorcycle, and riding his snowmobile. Wayne has been married to his wife Linda for 41 years and they have two children. He travels to Washington occasionally to see his daughter and grandson.

Wayne’s dedication to the Muskego Senior Taxi Service is wonderful.

We appreciate you so much Wayne!

Meet Larry W!

Larry W. has been one of our drivers at Muskego Senior Taxi since February 2018. He had been looking for volunteer opportunities and found us on the internet. He and his wife moved to the area from Iowa in 2016 and Larry thought volunteering would be a good way to get acclimated to the area. He also saw representatives of the Taxi at a booth for an event at the Muskego Public Library. Larry was drawn to volunteer with us because he’s seen how volunteers can help people like his niece who has a disability and his father, so he wanted to give back to the community. He especially enjoys the lively conversations and social interaction with our Senior riders. Before retiring, Larry was a Corporate Attorney at a trucking company. Outside of Larry’s great service to the Taxi, he spends a lot of time reading and also doing home improvement projects. He’s currently finishing some closets, his basement and re-roofing his gazebo.

Thank you for your wonderful service Larry!