Over the past year, drivers and couriers have continued to show up. Every day.
They’ve dropped off meals for seniors. Gotten families to airports. And navigated torrential downpours to deliver groceries.
But they’ve also been party savers, in-car karaoke partners, and relationship gurus. They’ve listened, laughed, and shared. To us, they are a daily inspiration. That’s why we call them the #everydaygiants.
Meet the 2021 #everydaygiants
We see all drivers and couriers as #everydaygiants, but here we want to share with you the stories of 3 incredible people who have made a big difference to riders and customers this year.
Meet Dominic
Dominic is a driver with Uber and a truly entrepreneurial spirit. When he’s not driving, he’s building his own digital marketing agency and spending time at Ravens games with his daughter.
One ride in particular has stuck with both Dominic and his rider. It started with him picking up a mother and daughter on their way to the hospital.
“I was just picking up a daughter and her mother, and their destination was the hospital.… And after a few minutes, the daughter said, ‘Ma, why aren’t you responding to me?’ ”
–Dominic
Calm and collected in Baltimore
As Dominic drove them to the hospital, he noticed that the mother had stopped responding to her daughter. Dominic quickly pulled over and called 911. Speaking to the operator, he moved the mother out of the car, laying her down outside his vehicle. He relayed the operator’s instructions to another person, who was helping perform CPR, until an ambulance arrived.
After everybody was safely in the ambulance, Dominic was left wondering what became of the mother after she was taken to the hospital.
Fresh perspectives
The situation, unsurprisingly, affected Dominic. In the moment, his support meant the world to his rider, but he felt a surreal helplessness among the unexpected chaos. Then, sadly, a month later, Dominic received a message through Uber Support explaining that the rider’s mother had passed away.
It has given Dominic a new perspective on life. He has decided that he wants to set up a charity for young people in his community, one that helps them live a more positive life—because, in Dominic’s words, you get out of life what you put in.
These days, Dominic feels he’s more alert, more in tune with his riders. He’s always looking out for them, making sure they’re safe during each ride.
“I really would love to thank him in person for staying with me until the ambulance came to get my mom.... Little did we know that would be my mother’s last breaths.”
–Dominic’s rider
“Although we had to stop early because of the severity of her condition in his car, he helped me more than he knows.”
–Dominic’s rider
Meet Tammy
Tammy is a driver with Uber and a true believer in Southern hospitality. She’s always happy to go the extra mile with her riders, even handing out books to kids during rides—and making sure to pick titles with diverse ethnic representation.
“Southern hospitality is a real thing. It’s what we do.”
–Tammy
Pulling together for care workers in Memphis
During the pandemic, Tammy was winding down for the day when she got one last ride request from a healthcare worker at Methodist Germantown Hospital.
Tammy picked up the healthcare worker, and they asked to stop at a drive-through. While they waited to order, the worker explained that because of PPE shortages, night-shift healthcare staff didn’t have a way to get food during their shifts.
Going the extra mile
Tammy couldn’t get the thought of healthcare workers going hungry out of her head. So she decided to do something about it. Tammy started to collect funds to feed frontline healthcare workers.
Using her local community Facebook group, she posted about the problem and went to bed. In the morning, Tammy discovered she had enough donations to provide meals to 35 healthcare workers over one shift.
Tammy didn’t stop there. Since then, she has fed the hospital’s night-shift staff over 288 nights, and she’s not done yet. She continues to collect money, food, and even treats made by members of her community.
“I love my community, and it’s incredible what we can do when we work together.”
–Tammy
“It was bugging me, and I felt I had to do something.”
–Tammy
Meet Sierra
Sierra is a mother, a spiritual soul, a driver, and an everyday giant. She started driving with Uber so that she could homeschool her daughter and be the kind of mother that she wanted to be.
When a rider steps into Sierra’s car, they might not realize it, but they’re stepping into a space where they can express themselves.
“We are all the same: we want to love and be loved.”
–Sierra
A spiritual supporter from New Jersey
Sierra has made some deep connections with her riders, offering them support and understanding when they need it.
One rider, a young man, started a conversation with her about the podcast she was listening to. Eventually he opened up to Sierra and revealed he’d recently lost his father. Sierra shared that she too had lost her father at a young age, and she comforted her rider during their conversation.
A helper and a healer
Sierra uses her earnings to fund a website, through which she follows her inner calling as a spiritual guide, healing and comforting people who have experienced trauma.
“Using spirituality, I began to see riders as people who have something valuable to offer me and who I may have something valuable to offer them.”
–Sierra
“We all are dealing with something, and I treat my car as a safe space.”
–Sierra
Thank you for being #everydaygiants
To the drivers and couriers who have gone above and beyond over the past year, thank you. And to the riders and customers who have been lucky enough to meet them along the way, please join us in saying an in-person “thanks” next time you jump in a ride or receive a delivery.
Share your everyday giant story
We love to hear all about the #everydaygiants you meet.
Perhaps a driver or courier has shared some wisdom, listened to you talk, or helped with some logistical challenges—like moving to a new home, or making sure you get that anniversary meal delivered, even in a snowstorm!
If you’ve had an amazing experience with a driver or courier, please let us know below.
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