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Ever since volunteer Bill Batchelor became legally blind three years ago, he has made it to weekly client visits and committee meetings by bicycle.

A Second Calling

Retirement does not have to mean sitting on a country porch or on a beach in Florida. For William H. Batchelor '42, M.D. '45, who left the National Institutes of Health as physician and health science administrator in 1984, it meant beginning a new career of service among the most frail and vulnerable members of the community-the homebound elderly.

Since his retirement, Batchelor has volunteered for IONA (Independence, Opportunities, a Networking for Aging) Senior Services in Washington, D.C. During the last 10 years, he and his wife, Joan, have delivered food in the Meals on Wheels Program. In addition, as part of the Friendly Visitors program, he has made weekly visits for the last 12 years to senior citizens who request assistance and companionship. "I have done as many as three visits a week," notes Batchelor, "but right now I'm visiting only one woman."

His medical experience has given Batchelor a special interest in people who have just returned home from the hospital and those receiving respite care at home. He has helped his clients with everything from doing household chores to making doctors' appointments. He has also served on an advisory committee to coordinate the activities of IONA volunteers with those of hospitals in helping patients adjust to returning home after prolonged hospitalization.

Batchelor's administrative experience has involved him in what he calls the "inevitable committee work" at IONA. He has been instrumental in fundraising campaigns, reviews of volunteer satisfaction, and project evaluations. Recently, he coordinated a campaign that raised $9 million ($1 million more than the original goal) for a new volunteer center; he has also made substantial personal donations to IONA. "When you put your heart in an organization, you put your money in it, too," he notes. For his years of service, IONA honored Batchelor with its Special Recognition Award at an annual ceremony last spring.

Working directly with clients remains Batchelor's chief delight. "Developing personal relationships is at the center of it," he emphasizes. "People mostly need a friend to talk to them. I remember one man who came to Washington during World War II with a background in nuclear physics. He was suffering from Parkinson's disease when I met him, and he wanted more than anything else to reminisce about his career, the mistakes he made, the people he treated badly, and those who treated him badly. He just wanted to put his past together with me. That's the best part of my work."

~ Thinh Nguyen

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