Quick summary
- Dar drove for Via Mobility Services from 1988 until she retired in 2021, logging well over half a million miles, roughly the distance to the moon and back.
- Today Dar is a Via Mobility Services rider. Accessible rides take her to volunteer activities, medical appointments, the grocery store and other places she wants to go.
- Riding has reconnected Dar with people she once drove, and it helps her stay independent and involved in her community.
- Gifts to Via Mobility Services on Colorado Gives Day, Tuesday, December 8, 2026, help more older adults and people with disabilities get where they need to go.
More Than Half a Million Miles of Helping People
If you traveled more than half a million miles, where could you go?
For Dar, the answer is all the way to the moon and back.
Dar began driving for Via Mobility Services, a Boulder-based nonprofit that provides accessible transportation for older adults and people with disabilities, in 1988. By her 30th anniversary, she had driven well over half a million miles, helping riders get to the places they needed and wanted to go.
But ask Dar what she remembers about those years, and she doesn’t talk about the miles. She talks about the people.
“I enjoyed the people. Helping people,” Dar said. “That’s my primary thing anyways. I’ve been like that all my life.”
For Dar, driving was more than a job. There was the 100-year-old woman she drove to her weekly hair appointment, who was still living independently in her own home. There were riders who needed an extra hand, which Dar always gave gladly. And there were relationships built over years of rides and conversations.
Dar even used her breaks to bring Via Mobility Services brochures to doctors’ offices and senior centers, helping more people learn about the transportation available to them.
When the Driver Became the Rider
After more than three decades behind the wheel, Dar retired in 2021.
Then, the driver became the rider.
Today, Via Mobility Services helps Dar get to volunteer activities, medical appointments, the grocery store and other places she wants to go. She can make her own plans, stay involved in her community and keep doing something that has always mattered to her: helping others.
Your support helps make that freedom possible.
Reconnecting With Riders She Once Served
Riding has also brought Dar back together with people she once served as a driver. On one ride, a former rider recognized her immediately and excitedly called her name.
Years had passed. Their places on the bus had changed. But the connection remained.
When asked what Via Mobility Services means to her today, Dar said:
“It’s a way to relate to other people and get out … and have transportation to go places.”
That’s what a ride can make possible.
Why Accessible Transportation Matters for Independence
Your Colorado Gives Day gift can help a rider get to a medical appointment or buy groceries. It can also help someone volunteer, reconnect with others, contribute to the community and continue living independently.
Dar spent decades helping other people get where they needed to go. Today, your support helps Dar and other riders like her keep going.
Dar has a message for those considering a gift:
Support Via Mobility Services because someday, you or someone you care about might be in that seat.
None of us knows what our mobility needs will look like years from now. But together, we can help build a community where transportation, connection and independence remain within reach.
This Colorado Gives Day, help riders like Dar keep moving toward the people, places and purposes that make life meaningful. Give the gift of independence.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dar?
Dar is a longtime Via Mobility Services driver who drove from 1988 to 2021 and logged well over half a million miles. Since retiring, she rides with Via Mobility Services to volunteer activities, medical appointments and errands.
What does Via Mobility Services do?
Via Mobility Services is a Boulder-based nonprofit that has provided accessible transportation for older adults and people with disabilities in communities along Colorado’s Front Range since 1979. Rides help people get to medical appointments, groceries, work, volunteering and community activities.
How does transportation help older adults stay independent?
Reliable, accessible rides let older adults make their own plans, keep appointments, stay socially connected and remain active in their communities after they stop driving. Learn more in When Is It Time to Stop Driving and Explore Other Transportation Options?
When is Colorado Gives Day 2026?
Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 8, 2026. Early giving began November 1, and gifts made through December 8 are boosted by the $1M+ Incentive Fund. Support Via Mobility Services this Colorado Gives Day.
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