iTNSunCoast to Serve All of Sarasota & Manatee Counties
Responding to requests from area residents, iTNSunCoast has decided to expand its service area again. “We continue to get calls for rides from people just outside of the area where we have been providing rides. In response, the Board of Directors recently decided to extend our service boundaries to include all of Sarasota and Manatee Counties” said Linda Davis, the Secretary of the Board of Directors and a volunteer driver. “We are excited by this change and are pleased to extend a helping hand to more people in the area.”
When iTN was started in 2010, its service area was limited to Sarasota and Venice. Over the past two years, the area served has gradually expanded to run from Bradenton to Northport. A year ago the organization changed its name from iTNSarasota to iTNSunCoast to reflect this expansion. “The response from the community has been heartwarming” said Arthur Lerman, iTNSunCoast’s Executive Director. “With over 60,000 people age 80+ in Sarasota and Manatee Counties combined, we know that many individuals will get a new lease on life by having access to safe, comfortable and reliable transportation and that the community will be safer and more age friendly as the result”.
To mark the expansion of its service area, iTNSunCoast will run a Summer Special. Only in July and August of this year, the cost of becoming a member will be reduced to $25 for the first year, half the normal fee of $50. In addition, as the result of a generous grant from Regeneron Pharmaceutical’s Inc., rides to eye appointments for iTN members will be free in 2016. “This is the first time we have done anything like this,” explained Executive Director Lerman. “We hope that this will encourage people to give us a try so they can reconnect with family, friends and the community.”
iTNSunCoast is a Sarasota based, non-profit organization providing rides to individuals who are at least sixty years old and adults of any age with vision impairments. The organization’s mission is to help individuals maintain their independence and live joyful and meaningful lives through a convenient, comfortable and affordable transportation option. Rides are available for any reason, any day of the week, at any time, now anywhere within Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Using mostly volunteer drivers, iTNSunCoast will provide over 10,000 rides this year.
For more information, call the iTNSunCoast office at 941-364-7530 or go to www.itnsuncoast.org.
