Murphy’s Law refers to the concept where technology is expected to reduce in size, grow in productivity and be more efficient, but it moves so fast that what's new now may be obsolete by the time it takes to get comfortable.

To some, learning a new phone is like grasping a new limb. A Jacksonville faith-based nonprofit, Seniors on a Mission, is armed with a bus and volunteers to help seniors with just that in Clay County.

Executive Director Joanne Hickox said about a quarter of her clientele hail from Clay. The organization aims to bridge the gap with a technology popup for seniors, teaching them how to use cell phones. They provide seniors with an hour of one-on-one cell phone and tablet training. The organization recently helped 13 seniors in Keystone Heights.

“That gives them the opportunity to communicate to family and friends,” Hickox said. “It’s just not to have a fear of technology. Everything is switching over to online.”

The organization will be at First Baptist of Orange Park on Sept. 28.

Hickox has run the nonprofit for more than 20 years and explained the necessity of being digitally savvy, especially for vulnerable groups like seniors.

“Restaurants give discounts, but for some, it’s online only. I’m like, are you kidding? Half of them only know it as a phone, we practically use it for everything,” she said. "People can control a house with a cell phone. The kids have learned their lessons on phones with scams, (seniors) don’t know that.”

The pandemic was a trying time for Seniors on a Mission, and the early months forced Hickox and a team to complete food deliveries in the early months of the pandemic. When they saw what the pandemic was doing, it emphasized the need for the organization’s mission, she said.

Other countries treat seniors with dignity, Hickox said, and she felt seniors just aren’t prioritized. Learning the extent of what a cell phone can do is life-changing: she’s seen seniors talk to their grandchildren for the first time on a video call.

“They want to learn. They want to communicate. The pandemic taught us we are people of relationships,” Hickox said. “Isolation, loneliness and depression, we’ve been fighting that. People need to be together with people.”

Seniors on a Mission has two full-time staff and between eight-to-10 volunteers, also called technology trainers. Teaching a senior to use a cell phone requires patience, she explained. The phone must be facing them and in their hand.

“They respond differently. The phone or tablet has to be facing them, one-on-one,” Hickox said. “It’s not about how much knowledge you have. It’s about how much patience you have. They are also watching and right there with us.”

Anyone interested in working with Seniors on a Mission or having the group make an appearance should call program coordinator Howard McMinn at (904) 258-1075.