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RideShare program shuts down June 23

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN A program that gives 11,000 rides a year to Greater Sudbury families who have no other way of getting their young children to medical, therapeutic and daycare programis shutting down at the end of next week.
Ride_Share
Valerie Brabant (left) enjoys doing volunteer work for RideShare, driving familes such as Katrina Pittersand her twin boys Elijah and Joshua to medical appointments.

BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN

A program that gives 11,000 rides a year to Greater Sudbury families who have no other way of getting their young children to medical, therapeutic and daycare programis shutting down at the end of next week.

RideShare gets most of its funding - $170,000 a year - from the Ontario Early Years Challenge Fund, but the pot of money was discontinued by the province at the beginning of March.

The ride program has operated for the last three months with a grant from the city's children's services division, but the money has run out, says Brenda Swalm, co-ordinator of RideShare.

The five-year-old organization will close its doors June 23.

"I just had a parent today calling, saying 'What am I supposed to do?' His child...has to go to Intensive Behavioural Intervention (a therapy for autistic children), and they live out of the way, so busing is out of the question, and they have no way to get him there. It's just a big problem for them."

Swalm has been looking for new sources of government funding since last fall, but so far, has come up empty-handed. If she finds a new grant, RideShare may be able to start up again.

RideShare is one of two programs run by Grassroots Economic Opportunity Development and Evaluation (GEODE).


The non-profit organization is not registered as a charity, so it cannot get money from corporate donors or funding organizations like the United Way.

RideShare works in partnership with a number of children's organizations in the city, including Our Children, Our Future, Child Care Resources and the Children's Treatment Centre.

Swalm is concerned some of her clients may stop bringing their children to appointments now that their rides are gone.

"The sad point is that the children are not going to get their medical appointments and not going to get to programming that will help to improve their health and their personal lives," she says.

"I think that it won't show up immediately on any stats that it's causing a big problem, but over the long run, children won't be as healthy."

RideShare was kept going by an army of volunteer drivers, who are mostly retired and want something positive to do with their time. They were reimbursed for their gas.

Swalm is planning a farewell appreciation luncheon for the drivers. She's sure there will be more than a few tears.

"Some of the drivers have become quite attached to the people they drive on a regular basis. You get quite involved in their lives. It will be very difficult for them to detach from the families," she says.

"The drivers do it because they really enjoy it, so they will be looking for other way to be involved in the community."


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