Councilmember Bob Ferguson secured vans for three agencies and local governments in District One, including the Northshore Family Center in Bothell, Outdoors for All in Seattle, and the city of Shoreline Parks Department. The Metropolitan King County Council unanimously approved the donations on October 8, and Ferguson intends to personally deliver the vans in the next few months.

“These hardworking organizations provide valuable programs to North King County residents, but too many individuals cannot participate because they lack transportation,” said Councilmember Ferguson. “These vans will enable many new people to benefit from these organizations’ good work.”

“We’re tremendously excited about having a van,” said Beratta Gomillion, Executive Director of the Center for Human Services, which operates the Northshore Family Center and provides counseling and education to low-income children, adults, and families in and around Bothell and Kenmore. The van will be used to transport participants to parenting classes, field trips, substance treatment support meetings, and other programs.

“One of the primary reasons that individuals cannot participate in programming is lack of transportation,” added Gomillion. “With this van, we can allow people to participate who otherwise would not be able to. It will also allow us to take youth on field trips, conduct special projects with summer camps and take people to psychiatric appointments.”

“This grant of a van is exceptional news!” echoed Ed Bronsdon, Executive Director of Outdoors for All, a foundation that helps people with physical, developmental and sensory disabilities enjoy outdoor recreation. “Every year, Outdoors for All serves more than 2000 individuals with disabilities and their family members and caregivers. The van will enable us to transport participants to and from recreation programs.”

Bronsdon added, “The van will be used to support the year-round adaptive recreation programs that we offer for children and adults with disabilities. Because of the significant growth in our inclusive day camp programs for children with and without disabilities, this van will be invaluable for transporting participants to so they can exercise their abilities on various cycling, paddling, hiking, rock climbing, snow shoeing, skiing and camping trips.”

“Transportation is always an obstacle,” added Courtney Brown, Recreation Coordinator for the city of Shoreline. “An additional van will provide staff with the necessary vehicle to transport participants to our adult programs, affordable summer camps and field trips to local parks and libraries.”

The city of Shoreline Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department operates 25 parks covering more than 330 acres and a variety of recreational and educational programs. The van will transport people with disabilities and low-income people to programs both in Shoreline and around King County. Over thirty adults with special needs currently attend programs organized by the Shoreline Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department.

Since 1995, the County Council has donated more than 250 retired vans from Metro Transit’s Vanpool program to local nonprofit organizations to provide transportation for residents who are disabled or on a low-income, young adults, and senior citizens. The program provides mobility for a diverse array of King County residents, supports the positive work of various local organizations, and relieves traffic congestion by reducing the need for single-occupancy vehicles.