Story and Photo by Rick Mehaffey

Serving the non-profit community has been a high priority for Randy Hayes, one of the newest board members of Beaches Council on Aging, since he moved to the Jacksonville Beaches 35 years ago to establish his orthodontic practice. Before joining BCOA, the organization that provides rides to the elderly and disabled via Beaches Dial-A-Ride, Randy served on the boards of BEAM (Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry), the Beaches Museum and the YMCA. He is also a member of the Ponte Vedra Beach Rotary Club. His non-profit involvement has ranged from a volunteer to Board President.

“I was familiar with Dial-A-Ride through my work with the BEAM board and felt that they provided a much-needed service to the Beaches community,” he says. “My desire to join the BCOA board developed as I became more familiar with the organization after doing ‘consulting’ work for them. As I learned more, I wanted to do more.”

Randy believes Dial-A-Ride provides a vital service to the Beaches community.

“I feel Dial-A-Ride is important to the Beaches community because it allows people to have the ability to engage in various activities within the community in a relatively independent, safe and economical manner. It also fosters social engagement which fights the problem of isolation.”

Randy enjoys traveling with his wife Lisa, socializing with friends, playing tennis and exercising. Some of his travels have taken him to Katmandu, Nepal and Pamplona, Spain where he participated in the Running with the Bulls.