Volunteer Opportunity Details:

Have you ever wanted to work with a Social Entrepreneur? Well here is your chance. ITNAmerica was just recognized as one of a new breed of entrepreneurs developing solutions to social problem by The Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy.

The ITNAmerica mission statement says "Today people remain active and independent into their seventies, eighties and beyond in higher numbers than ever before in this country. Those older citizens remain highly mobile and dependent on private automobiles to obtain necessities and maintain their quality of life. This dependence poses serious challenges for communities and for older adults as their ability to drive safely diminishes. Neither private nor public resources have produced suitable transportation alternatives to meet this growing need. Therefore, because dignified and adequate mobility for the aging population benefits the whole community, we have created the Independent Transportation Network."

ITNNorthCentralConnecticut provides transportation for seniors over 60 and the visually impaired in the towns of Bloomfield, East Granby, East Windsor, Enfield, Granby, Somers, South Windsor, Suffield, Windsor and Windsor Locks. Members pay a $40 annual fee for individuals and $60 annual fee for households to join and open a Personal Transportation Account to pay for their rides. A daytime trip has a $4 pickup charge and a $1.00 per mile charge.

We rely on a combination of volunteer and paid drivers and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. ITN service is available for any type of ride within the service area. Volunteer drivers make up about 60 percent of the driving team.

Our ITNRides software program plans and tracks membership accounts, rides and distances, maximizing the efficiency of routes. It is one of our most important innovations.

As a volunteer driver you can contribute to our Transportation Social Security program, building up credits in your personal transportation account for your future use of the services when it is no longer safe for your to drive.

Members describe the service as "the next best thing to driving."

You set your own hours. ITNRides does the rest.

We have a member that lives in an assisted living facility. His wife is 8 miles away in a higher skilled facility. ITN picks him up at 1:30 pm every day and takes him to visit with his wife. At 4:30 pm they pick him up and return him back to his assisted living facility in time for their 5 pm dinner. They could not maintain this wonderful relationship without the services of ITN.

We hope that we can learn your story and that you can make a difference in the lives of seniors and the visually impaired.

In-house training is required. Also we check for driving and criminal records.

This opportunity is sponsored by: ITNNorthCentralConnecticut

We need volunteers who are free at these times Evenings Weekdays Monthly Weekends Occasional Weekly One-Time This volunteer opportunity is available to the following types of volunteers Adults (26-54) Individual Adults (55+) Young Adults (18-25) Families

Contact Person: Margaret Smith-Hale, Executive Director, (phone), (email) View all agency contacts

Address:

99 Main Street, Suite 8 East Windsor, CT 06088 (See a map)

Directions:

Exit from Route 91 North or South for Warehouse Point(Exit 45). Take a left onto Route 140 (Bridge Street). Stay on Bridge Street for .5 miles, then turn left at the light onto Main Street. This is the 1st building on the right. before the Warehouse Point Library. Office entrance and parking are at the rear. For maps or information, please see http://www.cttransit.com/