[nfbmi-talk] article on Detroit metro transportation service

[Pauline Smith]

Thanks for sending this. It doesn't cover much of the city of Detroit proper yet, so I, along with most of the people I know, am not able to use this service yet but hopefully, they will cover more of the city and surrounding areas soon. I look forward to trying them out. I do have one correction. Marcy **** is a rehabilitation therapist. That's the new term for rehabilitation teachers, not a respiratory therapist as the article states.

Pauline Smith sent you this voice-to-text generated email using Voice on the Go.
To listen, click on the voice message link or open the attachment.
https://vemail2.whitelabelapp.net:443/enterprise/Recordings/in922UOy-20130306-2052.wav


> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From: Michael Powell <mpowell at wowway.com> 
> Sent: March 6, 2013 8:14:21 PM
> To: 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List' <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] article on Detroit metro transportation service
> 
> Hello all.
> 
> I am passing this on and am curious if anyone has used this service and what
> they thought of it
> 
> Michael Powell
> 
> New group provides low-cost rides to seniors, sight-impaired adults
> 
>  
> 
>  By Bill Laitner Detroit Free Press Staff Writer 
> 
>  
> 
> Terry Chaney of Royal Oak stepped outside
> his doctor's office Monday in Birmingham, guided by his volunteer driver.
> What the visually impaired Chaney, 59, didn't expect was a surprise from the
> head of a new metro Detroit nonprofit -- ITN Metro Detroit, which stands for
> Independent Transportation Network. 
> 
>  
> 
> Executive Director Lori Fidler handed
> Chaney a $25 gift certificate, good for more of ITN's chauffeured trips,
> because Chaney had just logged the group's 500,000th ride. Notching that
> milestone
> for the 16-year-old group, which operates in 22 states, was a thrill, Fidler
> said. We're excited this happened here because we're really just getting
> started,"
> she said. 
> 
>  
> 
> The metro Detroit office, Michigan's first, opened last fall to match people
> 60 and older and sight-impaired adults, with volunteer drivers,
> Fidler said. ITN of Metro Detroit already has had numerous callers asking
> for rides but it needs more volunteer drivers, since it expects to grow
> rapidly
> as baby boomers age by the millions, she said. The rides are a boost to
> Chaney and his wife, Marcie Brink-Chaney, said the retired advertising
> researcher.
> Both Marcie and I are totally blind," Chaney said. She's a respiratory
> therapist at Detroit Medical Center, and she found out about ITN," he said.
> The
> couple has used cabs and SMART connector buses for years, "but this is more
> like just having a friend you can ride with," Chaney said. The two
> especially
> like ITN's rides for taking their cats to the groomer's and vet's office, he
> said. The tab is cheaper than many taxi services and more flexible, he said.
> Cost is $1.50 per mile plus a $4 fee for each pickup, said JaWanda Mitchell,
> dispatcher for the group, which takes calls seven days a week. There's also
> a $50 yearly membership and a $50 deposit for reservations. A few callers
> said that was too costly, she said. We have a scholarship fund for
> low-income
> seniors, but we just started so we don't have anything in the fund yet," she
> said. ITN's service makes sense because most metro Detroit communities
> "don't
> lend themselves to walking anymore," said Nancy Martens, a registered nurse
> and founder of ElderCompass.net, which advises seniors and their caregivers.
> More Details: How you can help ITN Metro Detroit is a nonprofit agency that
> provides low-cost rides for seniors 60 and older and adults who are
> sight-impaired.
> The group is seeking volunteer drivers, who are reimbursed 35 cents a mile
> or can apply that to an account for future rides that they or loved ones
> need.
> For details, call 248-262-7269 Or go to www.itnmetrodetroit.org
> 
> ?
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfbmi-talk mailing list
> nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfbmi-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmi-talk_nfbnet.org/zim1993%40gmail.com