Three area nonprofits receive vans from DART

(February 1)-Today, three area nonprofit organizations received retired RideShare vans through DART’s van donation program. The recipients are Oakridge Neighborhood Services, Children and Families of Iowa and Opportunity on Deck.

The van donation program was started by the DART Board of Commissioners in 2014 to help meet transit needs of community organizations by donating RideShare vans that were being retired from DART’s fleet.

“We recognize that there are great organizations in central Iowa helping bridge transportation issues for the individuals they serve. Donating RideShare vans is another way, in addition to its regular bus service, DART is able to assist central Iowans with their transportation needs,” explains Tom Gayman, Chair of the DART Board of Commissioners.

Oakridge Neighborhood Services is a human services and housing agency located in Des Moines’ urban core. Oakridge serves some of the community’s most vulnerable families from at-risk populations. They will use their van to provide transportation to their afterschool youth programs and summer youth employment program, to assist adults who need transportation to work and to provide a shuttle service for low-income seniors living within their campus.

Children and Families of Iowa has served central Iowa since 1888. They will use their van to help grow their Connect2Careers program. This program helps youth and young adults who have experienced trauma, domestic abuse, mental health issues or who are involved with the juvenile court system to explore careers and receive training to make them workforce ready.

Opportunity on Deck provides organized athletic programming to at-risk youth in the western suburbs of Des Moines. They will use their van to help transport elementary age youth who would otherwise not be able to participate in programming. The van will also be used to expand the organization’s college visit program.

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) is the public transportation provider in and around Polk County. DART operates a family of transportation services that connects thousands of people every day to jobs, school, medical appointments, entertainment and more. For more information about DART services, schedules, route changes, or directions to the nearest DART stop, visit the website at ridedart.com or call 515-283-8100.