Many organizations depend on volunteers to operate, but for one teacher from Hampton, volunteers are literally her driving force.

Bethann Dolan, a math support teacher at Hampton Middle School, is paralyzed from the neck down and depends on a half-dozen volunteers to drive her to school and to help her as she teaches.

"I tell her that I am her hands and feet. I do the things that she can't do, so she can concentrate on teaching," said Melissa Kutzer, Mrs. Dolan's volunteer each Tuesday.

"But she exhausts me. She is so busy," joked Mrs. Kutzer, of Ross.

"They are vital to me being here in the classroom" is how Mrs. Dolan summed up what the volunteers mean to her.

Like Mrs. Kutzer, five other volunteers help Mrs. Dolan, picking her up at home in her specialized van, running errands, filing, helping her to eat lunch.

"It is my job to keep her hydrated," said Mrs. Kutzer, as she looked for Mrs. Dolan's water bottle.

Mrs. Dolan was healthy until March 8, 2006, when she was struck with transverse myelitis, a neurological condition caused by inflammation across the width of the spinal cord. The causes are not certain and there is no cure, although some people recover, usually within two years. It can result in varying levels of paralysis. In Mrs. Dolan's case, the disease left her a quadriplegic.

"Four in 1 million are struck by this [disease]," Mrs. Dolan said. "Of course, I couldn't have won the lottery," she joked.

Mrs. Dolan spent two months in the intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital and three months at Harmarville Rehabilitation. It was a difficult time for the mother of two young daughters, Rachel, now 5, and Elizabeth, now 8. "I didn't see the girls for the two months I was in ICU," she said. "It was so hard."

The Hampton School District kept Mrs. Dolan's position for her, even though she didn't know at first whether she would be back in the classroom.

"I didn't want to take the slot if I couldn't help the children," she said. About a year and a half ago, however, she knew she would be back. "As soon as I believed that I could teach effectively, I knew I would make it back to my classroom," she said.

Mrs. Dolan is glad she teaches math support classes, which are smaller than standard classes. She has taught part time since the birth of her children, which also made it easier to return to the classroom this fall. And, her volunteers have made it possible.

"It is amazing. They each come one day a week, and then I have a substitute," she said.

In addition to Mrs. Kutzer, Mrs. Dolan's volunteers are Sherry Graham, Bernadette Ek, Carla Grob, Kyle Inta and her sub, Karen McDunn. With the exception of Mrs. Kutzer, all of them live in Hampton.

Mrs. Kutzer and Mrs Dolan met in a group at their church, Elfinwild Presbyterian Church in Shaler, before Mrs. Dolan became ill. "I had only known her for a few months before this happened. I felt like I lost a friend when I heard about what happened," Mrs. Kutzer said. "But then I realized I still had my friend, it was just different."

Mrs. Kutzer started volunteering at Mrs. Dolan's home on Tuesdays. When Mrs. Dolan decided to return to teaching, Mrs. Kutzer continued volunteering in the classroom.

Mrs. Dolan not only credits her church with giving her friends such as Mrs. Kutzer and a large support group, she also credits her strong faith for keeping her going on darker days.

"Sure, I get down," she said. "I asked, 'Why did my girls have to have this happen to their mother?' But I know Christ has been with us the whole time and is here with me all of the time."

Mrs. Dolan's husband, Mike, picks up where the volunteers leave off at home. "I couldn't do anything without him. He is wonderful. And God is teaching us things all the time. I'm learning to be more patient," she said, "although Mike may not agree."

Members of her church and community support Mrs. Dolan and her family in other ways. "They had a walk for me early on to help pay for my van. And they still bring us meals three days a week," she said, thanking her friend, Kristin Coco, also of Hampton.

Her students are delighted to have her in the classroom. "She is so much fun. She helps me put my troubles behind me and makes math fun," said seventh-grader Brittany Guerriero.

Classmate Christy Daugherty agreed. "She likes to be creative and she makes us laugh. I think she makes math more simple for me," she said.

"I have to be more creative to teach now. I work harder to find different ways to present the material," Mrs. Dolan said. Her classroom tables are arranged in a U-shape to allow her to maneuver her electric wheelchair to be close to the students. Youngsters also write on dry erase boards so she can see their work easier.

Mrs. Dolan has a voice-activated laptop computer so she can create math sheets and other handouts for the students.

"I think I am a better teacher now. When my students are struggling with the obstacles that they may have in learning pre-algebra, they can see the obstacles that I have overcome. I think they realize that sometimes things aren't always easy."