Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation Program

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Executive Summary

Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation Program is a nonprofit in Arizona that gives older adults who no longer drive free door-to-door rides to medical appointments, pharmacies, grocery stores and senior programs. A trained driver in a wheelchair-accessible van or a screened volunteer driver picks seniors up at the door, and an escort can go into the appointment with those who want company.

When a ride is not available, older adults skip appointments, miss prescriptions and stay home, and their health suffers. Taxis cost far more than a fixed income allows, and transit is sparse.

With this grant we will serve about 150 seniors in Year 1 in 2 service areas. We are not an ambulance or medical transport service and we call 911 in any emergency. We promise screened drivers, safe vehicles and honest limits on when we can give a ride.

Our Year 1 budget is about $191,500, growing to about $291,500 by Year 5 as we add sites, coaches and participants. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small surplus each year. We have 4 staff in Year 1 (an Executive Director, a Transportation Coordinator and two part-time drivers) and 8 by Year 5.

We are asking the Grand Canyon Seniors Mobility Foundation for $50,000 for the Transportation Coordinator and vehicle fuel and maintenance. Our other income and startup support cover the rest. These numbers are estimates based on the assumptions listed at the end of this proposal, and we do not promise any result beyond what we describe.

Company Description

Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation Program is a nonprofit organization in Arizona. We are a registered charity with a volunteer board of directors, a written conflict-of-interest policy and a yearly budget the board reviews.

Our mission. No older adult should miss a medical appointment, a pharmacy visit or a grocery trip because they cannot drive and have no ride.

What we do.
- Provide free door-to-door rides to medical appointments, pharmacies, grocery stores and senior programs.
- Operate a wheelchair-accessible van with a trained driver.
- Coordinate volunteer drivers for seniors who do not need a lift.
- Offer an escort who goes into the appointment with seniors who want one.
- Take ride requests by phone, text or online with at least a day's notice when possible.
- Share ride information with clinics so appointments are not missed.

Our values. Respect for every participant, honesty with families and partners, safety first and a place for everyone who wants to belong.

What we do not do. We are not a medical transport or ambulance service. Drivers do not give medical care or lift seniors. We call 911 in any emergency. We do not promise a ride at every hour, and we explain limits clearly when seniors book. We follow the rules of our partner sites and our insurer.

How we got here. A group of retired drivers and church volunteers began giving neighbors rides to medical appointments in their own cars. Requests grew quickly, and many seniors used wheelchairs. We kept simple records of rides given and rides we could not give. This proposal asks for support to move from volunteer car rides to a steady program with paid, trained staff and the materials to match.

Problem & Opportunity

Many older adults no longer drive, and when a ride is not available they skip appointments, miss prescriptions and stay home.

Cost. Taxis and ride services cost far more than a senior on a fixed income can pay, and medical transport can cost hundreds of dollars a trip.

Access. Public transit is sparse in our area and not always accessible, and paratransit requires planning days ahead and has strict limits.

Safety and trust. Seniors and families want drivers who are trained, vehicles that are safe and assistance for those who need it.

Missed benefits. Seniors who miss appointments can have worse health and more emergency visits, and those who cannot shop for food may skip meals.

What we hear.
- A senior says she canceled a doctor's visit because no one could drive her.
- A nurse says missed appointments are the most common reason patients get worse.
- A son says his mother is stubborn and does not want to ask for rides.
- A driver says the ride is sometimes the only time a senior talks to anyone that day.

We do not claim that a program can solve every challenge. We believe that a reliable ride and a friendly driver can protect an older adult's health and independence.

Products & Services

Wheels to Wellness Senior Transportation Program gives older adults who no longer drive a safe, welcoming place to get where they need to go.

How the program works.
1. Registration. Seniors register by phone, text or online and tell us about any mobility needs.
2. Booking. Seniors request a ride at least a day ahead when possible, and urgent requests are handled when we can.
3. Ride. A trained driver picks up the senior at the door and helps with steps and safety as needed.
4. Escort. A volunteer escort may go into the appointment with a senior who wants company.
5. Accessible van. A wheelchair-accessible van serves seniors who use a wheelchair or walker.
6. Clinic coordination. We share ride schedules with clinics, with permission, so visits are not missed.
7. Feedback. After each ride we ask the senior how it went.

What a typical session looks like. Participants arrive and check in with a staff member, settle in together, work on the day's activity in small groups and finish with a short talk about what went well. Staff praise effort, correct mistakes kindly and make sure no one is left out.

Staff. Our drivers pass a background check and a driving record check, complete training in passenger assistance and safety and are paid for their time. Volunteers follow the same rules.

Access and fairness. Programs are free. Rides are free. We welcome every older adult who meets our simple registration, and we offer materials in large print and Spanish.

Market Analysis

Who we serve. Older adults ages 60 and over who no longer drive and live in our service area. Eligibility is based on age, where a person lives and not having a car or a driver, and no senior is turned away for lack of income.

How we estimate need. We cannot count every young person who could benefit, so we plan from what we can see. In our volunteer rides we turned down more requests than we could give and kept a waiting list. Clinics told us that missed rides are a leading reason older patients miss appointments. For Year 1 we plan to serve about 150 participants at 2 service areas. By Year 5, with more staff and sites, we plan to serve about 350.

Where participants come from.
- Clinics, hospitals and pharmacies.
- The area agency on aging and meal programs.
- Churches and senior centers.
- Seniors and families who tell a friend.

Who else benefits. Families gain peace of mind. Clinics gain fewer missed appointments. Communities gain seniors who stay independent longer.

What the numbers mean. Every number here is a senior who made it to her appointment. We keep our early counts modest and honest so we can do the work well.

Competitive Landscape

What young people can find today, and how we are different.

1. Public transit and paratransit. Valuable and limited by routes and booking rules. We offer door-to-door help.

2. Taxis and ride apps. Quick and costly and not always accessible.

3. Medical transport. Needed for some seniors and expensive. We serve those who do not need a medical vehicle.

4. Family and friends. Generous and not always available.

5. Volunteer driver programs. Strong and often small. We add a van and a coordinator.

What makes us different.
- Free to every senior.
- Door-to-door rides with a trained, screened driver.
- A wheelchair-accessible van.
- Escorts for seniors who want company.
- Coordination with clinics.

Why this gap matters. Existing programs do good work, and most serve people who can already pay or who live close to them. The people we serve are the ones left over: they live in the wrong neighborhood, have the wrong schedule or have no one to ask. We are built to reach them.

We have spoken with clinics, the area agency on aging, transit agencies and other volunteer driver programs to make sure we are filling a gap and not duplicating services. Their letters of support are in the attachments.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How young people and partners will find us.

Reaching young people.
- Clinics and hospitals. We will give staff a short referral form and a named contact.
- The area agency on aging and meal programs. We will share information with staff and drivers.
- Churches and senior centers. We will leave large-print flyers and give short talks.
- Families. We will make it easy for adult children to register a parent.
- Word of mouth. Seniors tell friends.
- A simple website and a phone line with a text option.

Reaching staff and sponsors.
- Recruit drivers and volunteers through retirees' groups, churches and community colleges.
- Offer an orientation, a background check and training in safety, privacy and respectful practice.
- Give partners a short report each quarter with counts of participants and what they said.

How we decide who joins. We use a simple sign-up form and enroll participants in the order received, with priority for those with the greatest need and for people new to the program. We keep a waiting list when the program is full.

What we watch. Sign-ups, attendance, rides given, appointments kept and how many participants return for a second season.

Operations Plan

How the program will be carried out.

Timeline for Year 1:
- Months 1 and 2 (July and August): Hire the staff, buy equipment and materials, finalize the waiver, consent form and privacy policy with our attorney and sign site agreements.
- Month 3 (September): Register the first seniors and begin rides with the van.
- Months 4 to 10: Give rides each weekday, coordinate volunteer drivers and share schedules with clinics.
- Months 11 and 12: Survey seniors and clinics, report to funders and plan Year 2.

Space. The van is stored at a donated garage, and the coordinator works from a small donated office.

Safety and privacy.
- Drivers use a written vehicle inspection every day, follow a passenger assistance protocol and call 911 for any emergency.
- Wheelchairs are secured according to the van maker's instructions and drivers are trained to do so.
- Every staff member and volunteer passes a background check and completes safety training.
- Staff work in pairs or in view of others whenever participants are minors or in a vulnerable situation.
- We keep an emergency plan at every site, and participants complete an emergency contact form.
- We keep records private, share them only with a participant's permission or as the law requires and follow a written policy.

Equipment. We buy about $48,000 of equipment once at the start: used wheelchair-accessible van ($42,000), wheelchair securement system and safety equipment ($3,000), tablets and phones for dispatch ($2,000), first aid kits and emergency supplies ($1,000). Later years replace or add a few items.

Staffing. In Year 1 I serve as Executive Director. The Transportation Coordinator, paid $42,000 a year, manages bookings, drivers and partners. Two part-time drivers, each paid $20,000 a year, give rides. We add drivers as we add vans and service areas.

Management & Organization

Walter Jenkins, Executive Director. I lead the organization, report to the board and am responsible for budgets, partnerships and reporting. I came to this work as a retired bus driver who kept getting calls from neighbors who needed a ride. I will complete the training we require of our drivers so I understand the program from the inside. (Replace this paragraph with your own background.)

Staff. The Transportation Coordinator manages bookings, drivers and partners, and part-time drivers give rides. Each passes a background check and a driving record check. These positions are part of our grant request.

Board of directors. Our volunteer board includes a retired bus driver, a nurse, a senior, a banker who serves as treasurer, an attorney and a clinic manager. The board meets every other month, approves our budget and reviews our safety plan. No board member is paid, and members with a conflict of interest step out of related decisions.

Advisory partners. An area agency on aging staff member, a transit planner and a clinic social worker give guidance twice a year.

Staffing and pay in this plan: Executive Director, paid $50,000 a year; transportation Coordinator, paid $42,000 a year; driver (part-time), paid $20,000 a year.

Milestones Narrative

Our goals, how we will measure them and when we plan to reach them.

Year 1 outcomes (July 2027 through June 2028):
- Serve about 150 participants at 2 service areas.
- Run at least two full seasons and a summer session.
- Have at least 85 percent of participants attend most sessions.
- Have at least 80 percent of participants return for a second season.
- Receive positive feedback from at least 90 percent of families who answer our short survey.

What we count and how.
- Participants enrolled, sessions and games attended, from our records.
- Skills learned and goals met, from the coach's checklist.
- Equipment issued and returned, from our log.
- Participant and family feedback, from a short, confidential form.
We report what we find, including what did not work, and use it to improve.

Growth over five years.
- Year 2: About 200 participants at 2 service areas.
- Year 3: About 250 participants at 3 service areas.
- Year 4: About 300 participants at 3 service areas.
- Year 5: About 350 participants at 4 service areas.

Learning along the way. At the end of each quarter, the director and the board review the numbers and decide whether we are on track. If we are behind, we will adjust our outreach, our sites or our schedule before asking for more money.

After the grant. By Year 5, grants make up about 55 percent of our budget, down from about 66 percent in Year 1, as partners and donors give more. We will keep building those relationships every year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $50,000 from the Grand Canyon Seniors Mobility Foundation for the Transportation Coordinator and vehicle fuel and maintenance, for July 2027 through June 2028.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Transportation Coordinator salary, $42,000.
- Other: Vehicle fuel and maintenance, $8,000.

Other money in the program. This request is about 40% of our Year 1 grant income. Other grants and the income lines below pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $191,500, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $7,900 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $125,500; area Agency on Aging Transportation Funding $36,000; hospital and Health Plan Partners $20,000; individual Donors $10,000. Year 1 costs: executive Director $50,000; transportation Coordinator $42,000; driver (part-time) $20,000; vehicle Fuel, Insurance and Maintenance about $16,000; volunteer Driver Mileage about $6,000; driver Training and Background Checks about $4,000; scheduling Software about $4,000; outreach about $3,000; administration and Insurance about $9,000; about $12,400 a year for the wear on equipment.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $58,000 are paid once from startup money, not from the yearly budget: $42,000 for used wheelchair-accessible van; $3,000 for wheelchair securement system and safety equipment; $2,000 for tablets and phones for dispatch; $1,000 for first aid kits and emergency supplies; $2,500 for attorney review of the rider agreement, volunteer policy and privacy policy; $1,500 for large-print flyers and a simple website; $2,000 for driver training and background and driving record checks; $4,000 for first insurance payment.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($58,000), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $0) and a cash cushion of about $43,500, which is about three months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $101,500. We start with $8,000 from our founding board and $96,000 in startup support from a community foundation and a health system, $104,000 in all, which covers that amount with room to spare.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $191,500 in Year 1 to about $291,500 in Year 5. Grants are planned at $125,500, $112,500, $121,000, $108,500 and $161,500 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows: area Agency on Aging Transportation Funding from $36,000 to $60,000; hospital and Health Plan Partners from $20,000 to $44,000; individual Donors from $10,000 to $26,000. Our surplus is planned at about $7,900 in Year 1, about $8,200 in Year 2, about $10,000 in Year 3, about $10,400 in Year 4 and about $14,200 in Year 5. We grow from 2 service areas to 4 by Year 5, adding a part-time coach for each new site.

Savings. We plan to keep several months of costs in savings. The lowest year-end balance in the plan is about $65,800, at the end of Year 1. Some grant payments and partner payments arrive after we bill, so we plan for about $7,660 owed to us at the end of Year 1.

Cost per senior. In Year 1, our total costs are about $1,224 per senior served, which includes setting up the program. By Year 5, with more senior served and a trained team in place, that falls to about $792 per senior.

After the grant. Area agency on aging transportation funding, corporate sponsors and individual donors grow every year, so grants become a smaller share of our budget. Participants and families share their stories, and businesses can sponsor a team or a season by name. We will look for partnerships with schools and the city that want a safe, free senior transportation option for every child.

Risks and how we will handle them:
- An injury. Certified coaches, proper equipment, groups matched by age and skill, a written emergency plan and insurance.
- A site is no longer available. We keep agreements with more than one site and a plan for bad weather.
- A coach leaves. We keep a list of trained backup coaches and share lesson plans.
- Low attendance. We adjust sites, times and rides based on family feedback.
- A privacy problem. We follow a written policy, use secure systems and train every staff member and volunteer.
- A grant ends. We keep savings and grow partner and donor support each year.

If you are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status through a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that receives grants for you and passes them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Another way is to start smaller: one neighborhood, a handful of seniors and a small team, tracked carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants easier to win.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach with this proposal:

- Your IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current year budget.
- A list of your board members and what each one does.
- Signed letters of support from partner schools, agencies and sites.
- Your site agreements and your insurance certificate.
- Your consent, waiver and privacy policy.
- Your safety plan and background check policy.
- Your program outline and schedule.
- Quotes for equipment and materials.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Grant Revenue: $125,500 in Year 1, growing to $161,500 in Year 5.
- Area Agency on Aging Transportation Funding: $36,000 in Year 1, growing to $60,000 in Year 5.
- Hospital and Health Plan Partners: $20,000 in Year 1, growing to $44,000 in Year 5.
- Individual Donors: $10,000 in Year 1, growing to $26,000 in Year 5.
- Pay (a full year, per person, including payroll taxes and workers' compensation): executive Director $50,000; transportation Coordinator $42,000; driver (part-time) $20,000.
- Other yearly costs in Year 1: vehicle Fuel, Insurance and Maintenance $16,000; volunteer Driver Mileage $6,000; driver Training and Background Checks $4,000; scheduling Software $4,000; outreach $3,000; administration and Insurance $9,000. These grow between 4% and 6% a year.
- Equipment: $48,000 at the start, then $3,000 to $4,000 a year.
- Startup costs: $58,000, paid once from $104,000 in startup money.
- Participants served: about 150 in Year 1, growing to about 350 in Year 5. Sites: 2 in Year 1, growing to 4 by Year 5. Rides run each weekday, with a volunteer driver option in the evenings and on weekends when available.
- About 4% of each year's income is still owed to us at year end.
- Tax: none, as a nonprofit.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your own quotes and real budget.

Startup Costs