I recently met Michelle with her mother-in-law and son at Page & Palette during the Fairhope Witches Ride. Her mother, who doesn't drive, was thrilled to be out and about. “I feel like this is my calling, my ministry,” says Michelle. One day, she was on the way to the beach with a friend who suggested that she take seniors on day trips. Michelle liked the idea and in September of this year, she started Driving Daisies.
Michelle Braly’s dad was a corporate pilot for a mobile home manufacturer, and they lived Haleyville, Alabama. When she was 12, Hurricane Fredrick hit the Gulf Coast, and her father flew several mobile home dealers to Mobile to try and help displaced families after the storm. Her dad was offered a job in the Mobile area, and he accepted, and the family moved to Fairhope.
She attended Fairhope High School for a couple of years and graduated from Bayside Academy in 1986. She met her husband, Jason, at the University of North Alabama in Florence, and they both graduated with art degrees. Jason, an aspiring actor, headed to Los Angeles and got an understudy role in a Steve Martin play. Michelle and Jason soon got married and she followed him to L.A.
While in L.A., Michelle worked for an ophthalmologist. After four years, they moved to Nashville where she worked in the Ophthalmology Department at Vanderbilt University. Jason gave up his acting career and started teaching art in elementary school. Michelle, Jason, and their two children moved to Fairhope in 2014.
Michelle worked with another physician's practice, but also worked three days a week for a local gentleman whose wife had developed Alzheimer’s disease. “I found out a lot about myself,” says Michelle. “I like to serve senior people.” After two years, the wife was placed in a memory care facility.
She began working part-time with a medical equipment company, then went full-time. She was there for five and a half years, spending time talking to senior clients about their needs and helping them work through the insurance questions. “Seniors need and want people to talk to.” Looking for something more fulfilling to do, Driving Daisies, was the answer. She placed ads on Facebook and took flyers to the senior centers.
“A lot of senior ladies are not comfortable taking Uber,” she says. “Many are widows and aren’t comfortable driving at night.” Michelle hopes to attract active senior ladies that want to get out a bit, go to a play, or go out to dinner.
She accepts appointments to take seniors to doctor appointments and will wait with them until they are ready to go home. “Hair appointments, diagnostic testing, medical injections, even taking pets to vet appointments,” she says. “Lots of seniors don’t have rides and need someone to stay with them and take them home, especially if they have some kind of medical procedure or have their eyes dilated.”
Many seniors don’t have any way to get to church, so she wants to add a first-of-the-month Sunday driving service where she picks up ladies, drops them off at church, and picks them up to take them home again.
“About 90% of my business has come from The Get It Girl referrals. “I’m available on weekends with one to two weeks' notice. I have many adult children that call me about their parents.” Michelle charges $25 per hour for her services and prefers at least 24 hours notice to check her schedule.
As her card says, Dr. Appts, Same Day Surgery, Shopping, Restaurants, Events, and will take you to do your errands too.
Give Michelle a call if you want reliable transportation and a friendly companion.
Phone: (256) 867-4056
Facebook: Driving Daisies
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