RUMFORD — The American Cancer Society recently awarded three Rumford area residents with the American Cancer Society New England Division Sandra C. Labaree Volunteer Values Award for their selfless service to people with cancer.

Gary Coffin, Peggy Briggette and Brian Mitchell are all volunteers for the Road to Recovery program, a program that offers cancer patients free, safe and friendly transportation to treatment appointments.

In presenting the awards, Dr. Susan Miesfeldt, a member of the American Cancer Society’s New England Division board of directors, described the story of the three recipients as the most humbling she had ever heard.

The story was contained in their nomination and it read: “Honoring Road to Recovery volunteers is one of the hardest things to do. This is because what they do requires so much sacrifice, that even if someone volunteers only once, his/her service is worth recognition. In this vein, we could argue that they all deserve recognition. This is more so for volunteers who serve in rural areas and have to drive patients to facilities that are more than 60 miles away from their homes. Such volunteers are not only heroes to their patients, but also to the American Cancer Society. They are the true bearers of our torch of hope and the light that shines across all those miles they cover.”

The rising cost of gas and the increasing demand for the road program in the rural areas of Maine has placed an enormous demand on the volunteers.

“These men and women never say no,” says Afreda Hansen, volunteer coordinator for Oxford County Road to Recovery volunteers. “They are always available to help and they give the program their best. They give their best even when they are required to travel an hour out of the way to pick up the patient and another two hours to the hospital.”

“They give their best even when they are required to spend the whole day at the hospital because the distance is too long for them to drive home and return later for the patient. They give their best in a snowstorm and in a thunderstorm. Simply put, they always offer to help even when mere volunteerism seems impractical by every element of reason,” Hansen said.

The concern for patients with which they execute their duties also makes them worthy of the award. They take the time to make a connection with their patients and are pillars of support to their patients.

On several occasions, they have called the American Cancer Society to alert staff of other needs the patients may have. For example, upon realizing that their patient was concerned with traveling on a stormy day, the volunteer called the society’s office to find out if overnight accommodation could be arranged for the patient, so that they could provide the ride a day earlier.

The American Cancer Society is currently recruiting more volunteer drivers to ensure that all cancer patients have transportation when they need it. To learn more about becoming a Road to Recovery volunteer driver, contact Joe Mando at 373-3730 or by e-mail at [email protected].

To learn more about the American Cancer Society or to get help, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit cancer.org.