From 55+ Magazine

Frank Moran was born in Cambridge, Mass., 71 years ago. He came to Syracuse in 1964 for a job opportunity and landed right at Carrier Circle. He was immediately reminded of the "awful and confusing" rotaries in Massachusetts. After a quick look around the city, he was discouraged because he didn't like it very much. Afterward Moran found there were a lot of places in Syracuse that he actually did like. Preferring to live in a country-like setting, he wound up living in Borodino in the Town of Spafford. Once he became involved in building a life there for himself and his family, he decided to stay.

Forty-three years later, Moran is still here but his life has changed quite a bit. Ten years ago, his wife passed away, a victim of cancer, and although he's now retired from the work force, he still has a lot of get up and go in him.

"I'm not the type of man who can sit around and do nothing, and I'd like to pay back for all the blessings I've had in my life," Moran says.

Moran began volunteering as a Borodino fireman and did so for 25 years. After retiring, he became an elementary school reading assistant at the Delaware Academy in the Syracuse City School system, and also signed on to volunteer with RSPV and the American Cancer Society. After working with third-to-fifth graders for three years, he decided to focus his volunteering on RSVP and the American Cancer Society.

' Under the auspices of Catholic Charities' Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP), and the American Cancer Society, Moran now drives people to their cancer treatments on an on-call basis. Sometimes, treatments are long; some are every day; others are on a recurring basis. Moran picks up patients from their homes, waits for them to complete their treatments, and then drives them home. He says he "hasn't had to give a barf bag to any of his patients yet." Once, he was assigned a patient who lived 25 miles from his home, which kept him on the road quite a bit. He uses his own car and his own gasoline. Occasionally, he gets a small stipend to compensate him for the gas, which is so expensive these days. More importantly, Moran says he "feels a great sense of fulfillment that he's doing something for people who need his help." Despite the agencies' policies discouraging him from talking with the people he transports, they often initiate conversations simply seeking encouragement and support. Moran is a good listener and often, that's exactly what they need. Subconsciously, Moran believes he chose this means of helping people who, like his wife, struggle to survive the hardships that cancer patients undergo.

He also works as a driver for the American Red Cross transporting blood from local drives to Henrietta in the Rochester area, where the blood is separated and processed for use in various diseases. In addition to donating blood every 59 days for many years, Moran also does occasional "blood runs" on Saturday mornings.

Last October, the Red Cross chose to recognize Moran for all his efforts on their behalf and recommended that he be presented with a service award as a United Way volunteer. Moran's initial reaction was to decline the award because, "I don't do what I do for recognition." But with the encouragement of Ann Goulet, director of RSVP, he finally agreed to accept it.

That's not all Moran does. He spends one day a month at the Samaritan Center, an interfaith effort located in the basement of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Syracuse, distributing hot, nutritious meals to the homeless and needy men, women, and children of Syracuse.

Moran manages to find some time for himself and enjoys the outdoors immensely. He loves to snowshoe, and enjoys hiking with his fellow members of the Adirondack Mountain Club. Currently, he's in the process of restoring a home. And in quieter times, he loves to read and is quite a history buff.

Even though Moran likes to be able to manage the hours he spends volunteering now that he's retired, he says he wouldn't stop volunteering for anything in the world. "It's part of my life. Some day, we'll all need someone to help us out and I want to do it while I can." '

Photo taken by Joyce Green April 2003 at the "future site" of the Spafford Veterans Memorial. Left to right are volunteers: Roger Green, Frank Moran, and Bill Vinzant. [April 2003, all photos]

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