Transportation Coordination Service to Use Grant to Expand Services
SURPRISE, ARIZ. – Dec. 3, 2014 – Northwest Valley Connect (NVC), a nonprofit transportation coordination service founded by Sun Health and Benevilla, recently received a $10,000 grant from the Wulkan Foundation, a like-minded organization dedicated to helping older adults find transportation options.
The grant was awarded to NVC by Beverly Wulkan, an experienced civil engineer and transit expert, well-acquainted with the challenges older adults often face when planning local trips to doctors, the pharmacy, the grocery store, social engagements and other appointments and errands.
Wulkan explained why she chose NVC as the recipient of the grant: “First, Northwest Valley Connect is helping seniors find options to their transportation needs, which is a match with the foundation’s mission. Second, having been involved in nonprofit organizations, I understand that a little extra money is always helpful with new programs.” The Wulkan Foundation was started by her husband Alan Wulkan in 2013.
Beverly Wulkan works as a project controls specialist and project manager for transit at AECOM, an international infrastructure and support services firm. She first heard about NVC last year while attending a transit and transportation conference (AzTA) in Tucson. She was considering charities around the same time and NVC seemed like a good candidate for a grant.
“It’s really special to get a grant from someone who knows the ins and outs of transportation,” NVC Executive Director Kathy Chandler said. “It means a lot.”
One of NVC’s goals is to address identified gaps in transportation for seniors using paid and volunteer drivers. According to Chandler, the grant will go toward screening and training volunteer drivers for the program.
“We’re here to increase awareness of existing transportation services and to help residents choose the best travel options,” Chandler said. “We also want to coordinate with existing providers and to bridge service gaps with new and affordable transportation options.”
About Northwest Valley Connect
Northwest Valley Connect (NVC) is a nonprofit transportation coordination service whose mission is to provide personalized support to connect area residents with available transportation services, while developing new transportation options to overcome existing service gaps. Its vision is to advocate, facilitate and coordinate accessible, adequate transportation resources in the northwestern region of the Phoenix metropolitan area, thereby promoting quality of life among the residents it serves. NVC was formed by local nonprofits Sun Health and Benevilla (see the original announcement here). For more information, call 623-282-9300 or email [email protected]
