During Via’s 35th anniversary year, I am sharing my blog with guest writers – Via board members, employees, riders and community members – who are writing about their experience with Via. We also welcome your contributions. If you are interested in sharing your story for “Via Turns 35,” please contact Mary Cobb at 303.473.2882. We’d love to hear from you!
This week we’re hearing from Via board member Suzanne Hoover. Suzanne is a lifelong volunteer.
Lenna Kottke, Executive Director
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Via Celebrates 35 Years
If you travel the roads of Boulder County, chances are you’ve seen Via Mobility Services’ vehicles transporting riders to and from their destinations. Despite this high level of visibility, many people don’t know exactly what Via does or who it serves.
Via Mobility Services is a private, 501(c) 3, a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote independence and self-sufficiency for people with limited mobility by providing caring, customer-focused transportation options.
Via riders are a diverse group including seniors, people with disabilities, and others living with mobility limitations.
My introduction to Via came through my mother who lived at Frasier Meadows Manor. She was fiercely independent and did not want to be a burden on me or my husband. Although we never considered any of our time spent with her a burden, we recognized that she needed to be able to do things and get places on her own.
The ability to make appointments and get to them without our assistance meant a great deal to her. It mattered because she could have her own life without our involvement in every little detail. Like so many other Via riders, it gave her independence.
This is just one of thousands of rider stories denoting how Via has kept clients connected to their communities for the past 35 years. During this time, Via has evolved into a multi-service organization that provides transportation and mobility options in 19 communities in five counties in Colorado.
Via’s 35thanniversary is an opportunity to reflect on success, and more importantly, a time to look toward the future. As the next 35 years unfold, Via will continue to meet challenges with thoughtful innovation, use of the latest technologies and the collaboration of our local communities.
Suzanne Hoover
