With the recent onslaughts of wintery mix, snow and sleet, Bon Secours Richmond employees and medical staff have had difficulties getting to and coming home from work. As an organization dedicated to providing good help to the community, the community responded in our time of need.

Last weekend, Chris Saunders and the Southside Jeepers (SSJ), a local club of Jeep enthusiasts, came to the aid of the St. Francis Medical Center employees. Having driven at least 1,300 miles, Saunders and the Southside Jeepers volunteered their time and vehicles to help keep the hospital operating.

As a family-oriented club based in Chesterfield, Virginia, SSJ gives back to the community and works with several charities in the area. Saunders, an avid volunteer, founded the Southside Jeepers in late 2007 when he noticed that other Jeep clubs in the area required membership dues and mandatory attendance to meetings.

“Volunteering is very rewarding for me. With all the snow we’ve had over the past few weeks, I wanted to help people stranded at home get to work, but I didn’t know where to start,” said Saunders. “A few of the [club] members’ wives worked at St. Francis, so when Martha McAloon, the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, reached out to me last Wednesday, it seemed like a great opportunity to help out.”

When inclement weather advisories are issued, McAloon schedules four-wheel drivers, providing MapQuest directions to make the process easier. With 11 SSJ members and other four-wheel drivers in the community available, McAloon and Saunders were able to get physicians, nurses, as well as housekeeping and administrative employees from the hospital to their homes and back.

“We all want to be here to help. When one of the guys would come in, he’d pick up another person and go back out,” Saunders said. “All of the guys either work the day or night shift, so we’d schedule them around when they had to be at work.”

The partnership with the Southside Jeepers is the first of its kind for St. Francis Medical Center, since it opened its doors in 2005.

“We formed a partnership [with the Southside Jeepers] to strengthen our ability to provide care,” said McAloon. “The club’s efforts reflect Bon Secours’ mission and values.”

For more information about the Southside Jeepers, visit www.southsidejeepers.com. You can also follow the SSJ on Facebook and Twitter.