1
1
Fall
2005
“The ability to get
to places I need to
when I need to. It
helps maintain my
sense of
independence and
has increased my
feelings of
hopefulness”.
Lesley Turner,
TRP Rider
*This publication is available in accessible formats upon request*
A look at how we give the gift of mobility...
THE EXTRA M
ILE
“Linking accessible, responsive transportation with community need”
The annual Ride Connection Ride Along 2005 was a huge
success! The Ride Along is a time for staff and board
members to go out in the community and talk with our
providers and thank the customers. All Ride Connection
staff and some board members participated in this year’s
Ride Along. Staff and board members handed out “goodie
bags” filled with candy, a TriMet day pass and information
about Ride Connection. Staff had the opportunity to sit and
listen to stories and the lives of those around them.
The coordination of staff, board members and providers
was made possible with volunteer Marjorie Halford’s expert
planning and extreme patience. It takes a tremendous
amount of time to schedule over 30 people for a month long
event. We all know that schedules change, emergencies
occur and life happens. Marjorie was able to juggle all of
those hurdles and continue to have a smile on her face.
Thank you Marjorie!
Ride Connection
gives a HUGE
thank you to our
community pro-
viders. They
were incredibly
gracious to our
staff and board.
We’re looking
forward to next
year.
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2
The Extra Mile
“Make a community connection”
Leave a Legacy with a Gift to Ride Connection
Thoughts from Gerard Trageser
Ten years ago, Bonny Groshong introduced me to Ride Connection. I initially
served on the allocation committee and, since then, I’ve had the privilege of being
involved with Ride Connection more closely. I have learned firsthand how seniors
and people with disabilities use our important transportation services.
I am pleased that Ride Connection continues to expand
and enhance its services. Ride Connection recently
initiated the RideAbout and RideWise programs. In
2004-05 over 300,000 rides were given. Over 3,800 low
income wage earners and job seekers received travel
education.
One of the times I’ve felt most successful is when Ride
Connection played a role in securing special needs
transportation through advocacy at the state level. When
our voice was strong in Salem, I feel it was an important
turning point for Ride Connection.
Without Ride Connection’s enduring support, our 31
community partners could not continue to Give the Gift
of Mobility. It is in working together that we meet
challenges, and expand the important service we give in four Metropolitan area
counties.
I am writing to ask you to seriously consider giving a gift for Ride Connection’s
future. One important way is through a Legacy Gift in your Will or Estate Plan.
Legacy Gifts to Ride Connection, such as a bequest by will, life insurance, IRA
beneficiary assignments of retirement funds, gifts of stock or mutual funds, and
charitable trusts, can be placed in our Endowment Fund. This Fund is our “bank
account for the future”. Donations to the Endowment Fund are not spent, but are
invested.
For more information contact Susan Tingley, 503-528-1734, or
stingley@rideconnection.org.
Outgoing Ride Connection
Board member, Gerard
Trageser and his wife, Vivian.
pg_0003
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3
The Extra Mile
“Give the gift of mobility”
Ride Connection invites you to visit our newly redesigned website at
www.rideconnection.org
. Now you can find out much more about our organization,
and it’s easier to find the information you need.
Please look at these features:
Services
Now it’s easy to find out what services we provide in the community.
Newsroom
Keeps you up to date on what’s going on at Ride Connection
.
View newsletters,
annual reports, and more.
Calendar
Find the dates of all trainings, meetings, and current events.
Resources
You’ll find links to other helpful service and transportation-related websites.
Giving the Gift
Help Ride Connection continue its important work by giving a donation.
We have also added a secure area where service providers will have all the
resources they need in one place. Check it out!
Ride Connection Unveils New Website Design
Ride Connection’s Summer 2005 intern
Christina Turner spent her summer of 2005 as an
intern for Ride Connection. Christina is a Portland
native who spent the last 3 years studying Human
Development and Family Studies at Colorado State
University in Fort Collins. This is the second summer
that Christina has worked with Ride Connection. This
summer, she earned credits through Portland State
University to complete her internship requirement.
While at Ride Connection, Christina assisted with a
variety of programs. Her help was especially needed
while Trainer Lesa Pinker was out on maternity leave.
Thank you Christina, for choosing your summer
internship at Ride Connection!
Summer intern Christina Turner, hard at
work at Ride Connection.
pg_0004
4
The Extra Mile
“Give the gift of mobility”
Ride Connection is delighted to announce a grant of $167,000 by Washington
State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to expand our transportation
services for two years in Clark County, WA. An additional $40,000 was awarded to
buy an accessible vehicle. This is great news for citizens of Clark County who are
older or living with a disability, particularly those living outside areas served by
C-TRAN. In the past, Ride Connection and its providers have only been able to
provide rides for life-sustaining medical appointments. This grant will allow us to
help people get to shopping, regular medical appointments, and other important
destinations.
Ride Connection would like to extend heartfelt thanks to WSDOT, the American
Cancer Society, Catholic Community Services, Dr. Ken Nitta, the Cities of Battle
Ground, Ridgefield, and Vancouver, and the East Vancouver United Methodist
Church for their support.
Our transportation services in Clark County would not be possible without the help
of volunteer drivers like Martin Butler. Marty retired as a state trooper in April of
2003. After a year off of work, he decided to volunteer his free time, and
contacted the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) to see if they had
any volunteer positions available.
Marty has been a volunteer driver for over a year now. He enjoys the flexibility of
the schedule and the ability to help seniors meet their transportation needs. “I
used to have a job where I was tied to a pager,” he said. “Now, I make my own
schedule. And I help people with rides to appointments.” Marty enjoys driving, and
feels like the individuals he transports are as close as family.
Marty recommends this volunteer opportunity to anyone
who has free time and wants to make a difference.
Without the dedication of drivers, many of these
individuals would be isolated, many of them alone, with
no transportation to vital medical appointments. Please
consider being a volunteer driver in Clark county. You
can volunteer a few hours per week. Contact Susan
Tingley at stingley@rideconnection.org or 503-528-1734
for more details. Give the gift of mobility in Clark County!
New Funding and Dedicated Volunteers give Clark County a Boost
Martin Butler volunteers for Catholic
Community Services, a Ride
Connection Community Partner
providing services in Clark County
Washington.
pg_0005
5
5
The Extra Mile
“Make a community connection”
Andy at Elderplace: How he gives the gift of mobility
Eight years ago Andy Szolnoki decided to take a
different path in life. While browsing through the
newspaper after moving to Oregon from New
York, he saw an ad for the Providence
ElderPlace transportation coordinator position.
He had been previously employed with the IBM
Corporation and had worked as an EMT both as
a volunteer and a paid employee. He was
looking for a “service” type position and found
exactly that in Providence ElderPlace.
Providence ElderPlace offers comprehensive
medical and social services, as well as housing options. The idea behind the Pro-
gram of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model is to provide alternatives to
nursing home placement and to help seniors remain as healthy and independent as
possible in the community, for as long as possible. The average age of Providence
ElderPlace participants is 80.
Providence ElderPlace currently offers two housing facilities and two day centers. It
is the responsibility of Andy and the 20-25 others in the transportation staff to
coordinate rides for those clients. The rides range from doctor and therapy
appointments to social outings. When asked why he enjoys this kind of work, Andy
states “ you are making a difference in someone’s life.” He also is very
complimentary of Providence ElderPlace and adds that “Providence has a great
work environment, they listen and respect their employees and they live the talk.”
With his eighth year coming to a close, Andy will be retiring at the end of December.
When asked what he will do with all of his free time, he states “maybe I will find a job
with less stress and responsibility or pick up my stained glass hobby again or even
volunteer.” Whatever decision Andy makes about his future, it is clear to all of us
here at Ride Connection that we will miss him dearly and we wish him the best.
SAVE THE DATE!
Ride Connection presents “The Heart of Transportation” Safe Mobility event.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006 at 3:00pm
East Portland Community Center, 740 SE 106th Ave
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The Extra Mile
“Make a community connection”
Focus on a Ride Connection Community Provider
In a small quiet neighborhood in the Parkrose area, David’s Harp builds a sense of
community and family among their clients.
David’s Harp is a private non-profit agency that offers day programming with a wide
range of activities for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. It was the first
program of its kind in Multnomah County, started in 1978. The community needed a
place for clients of Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, formerly Mt Hood Mental
Health, to gather and to participate in group activities. There was of course the
question of where to house this program. The United Methodist Church and Pastor
Peter Warner heard about the program and soon adopted the project as it’s mission
project.
Each day David’s Harp offers a USDA meal to their clients. Over 60 adults come to
either a morning or afternoon module to participate in activities ranging from van
rides to the scenic Gorge highway, support groups, skill building or arts and crafts.
Alongside Mary Kautzer, Executive Director, there are 4 staff and a number of
dedicated volunteers to administer programs and serve meals. When asked why
she enjoys working at David’s Harp Mary states, “it is a gift to be a part of lives and
their journey.”
As the mental health field continues to change and the awareness of mental illness
continues to grow among families and communities there will be an increasing need
to support and grow programs such as David’s Harp.
If you drive by that small, quiet neighborhood in Parkrose stop and listen, you will
hear laughter and see smiles of people who have a community and know where
they belong.
Community Provider Note:
David’s Harp gave 4583 rides in
Fiscal Year 2004-2005.
David’s Harp had 109 riders in
Fiscal Year 2004-2005.
Donate Your Vehicle to Us
Donated vehicles help raise funds for Ride
Connection and Volunteers of America, and
you can get a great charitable deduction.
The towing is free; the convenience is
unbelievable; and we do all the work. If you
have a vehicle taking up unnecessary
space, call Caralee at 503.528.1722 or by
email at clindsay@rideconnection.org. We'll
take care of the rest!
pg_0007
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7
The Extra Mile
“Give the gift of mobility”
Please join us for our annual celebration of Ride Connection and its community
providers. Come and hear about Ride Connection’s work in our communities:
Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington and Clark Counties.
We would like to gather comments and stories from people in our communities.
?
If you are Ride Connection community provider, and have a story to tell about
how you give the gift of mobility, we’d love to hear from you.
?
If you or a family member received a ride from one of our community
providers, we’d love to hear from you.
?
If you volunteer to drive with one of Ride Connection’s community providers, we’d
love to hear how you think your volunteering gives the gift of mobility.
?
If you have received travel training from the RideWise program, or if you are a
volunteer Ride Ambassador, we’d love to hear from you.
Please mail your comments or stories to:
Susan Tingley
Ride Connection
3220 N. Williams Avenue
Portland, OR 97227
Ride Connection’s 2005 Luncheon
“The Gift of Mobility” Luncheon
Friday, December 2, 2005
11:30 am until 1:30 p.m.
DoubleTree Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah
Portland, Oregon
pg_0008
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NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PORTLAND, OR
PERMIT 495
Address Service Requested
3220 N Williams
Portland, OR 97227
503.528.1720
Fax: 503.493.7431
“Linking accessible, responsive transportation with community need”
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