The Neighbor Rides Program
"Need a ride? Patricia Woodward has you covered.
She can pick you up at 4:30 a.m. if need be, can take you to your doctor’s appointment, your addiction treatment center, the dentist’s office, or just to the grocery store. All the while, she’ll be there to talk, to listen and keep you company.
Woodward, a 65-year-old St. Albans resident, is one of the 21 volunteer drivers helping the Green Mountain Transit Agency (GMTA) in the Franklin County area. Woodward transports GMTA clients in her 2010 Ford Fusion five days a week, working with many of area’s residents who are older, on Medicare, have disabilities, are veterans, or are in need of daily medical or addiction treatment.
According to GMTA’s community relation’s program manager, Tawnya Kristen, volunteer drivers are vital to many people in Franklin County who may not otherwise have access to transportation."
Click to viewЯ не могу по зрению водить машину. Меня возит муж. Есть и другая возможность съездить куда-то по делам. Прекраснейшая программа
Neighbor Rides is a strategic initiative of United Way of Chittenden County supported by a dynamic group of community partners that brings people and places together to help meet the transportation needs of seniors and persons with disabilities. This partnership uses volunteer drivers to leverage government and community-funded transportation programs and help more people by decreasing the cost per ride.
Neighbor Rides volunteers use their personal vehicle to transport seniors and persons with disabilities to life-sustaining and life-enriching activities throughout Chittenden County. United Way recruits and orients potential volunteers then refers them to one of our partners, Special Services Transportation Agency (SSTA), to complete background checks, take trip requests and coordinate rides for passengers. SSTA matches and dispatches qualified volunteers to transport seniors and persons with disabilities who have no appropriate means of personal or public transportation available. When a trip request meets guidelines and can be efficiently matched with a volunteer driver, SSTA puts them together to make it happen.