Hebron resident Judy had a disability that prevented her from driving. She connected with Call-A-Ride, and volunteers made it possible for her to travel to medical appointments and take care of errands like grocery shopping and visiting the food pantry. She depended on Call-A-Ride as her primary source of transportation.
For over thirty years the organization has provided transportation at no cost to seniors and those in need in Boone Township. Call-A-Ride currently serves 129 clients like Judy, who rely on their volunteer drivers and vans for transportation.
As an all-volunteer organization, they depend on grants and gifts to continue their mission. It is a labor of love for the hard-working board members, some of whom helped launch the organization after conducting a survey and learning from door-to-door conversations that the community’s senior citizens had an overwhelming need for transportation services.
Though they started by using personal vehicles for the rides, today Call-A-Ride has two vans, one of which is accessible to accommodate clients who depend on walkers or wheelchairs. Through a Community Fund grant, PCCF recently helped Call-A-Ride replace their ten-year-old wheelchair accessible van that exceeded 160,000 miles and was becoming expensive to maintain.
“Call-A-Ride is a reality because of dedication and support from our community,” Board President David Blackwell shared. “I don’t know how we’d do it if it wasn’t for the Porter County Community Foundation.”
Your philanthropy made this grant possible and will help Call-A-Ride meet a critical community need for years to come, allowing clients like Judy to continue to live independently.
