The Highland Knights of Columbus pledged a $5000 donation over five years to support a second Friends Van for HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland.
The Friends Van provides free transportation to medical and dental appointments, nursing home visits, pharmacy, and grocery shopping for those who cannot transport themselves. Preference is given to those needing transportation to medical appointments. The van picks up and drops off passengers at their home, and is equipped to handle passengers in wheelchairs.
With more than 18,000 miles traveled last year, the Friends Van helped over 3,100 passengers travel to doctors’ appointments and other important errands completely free of charge.
“The need for this type of program is evident through the growth we are experiencing. The number of passengers served by the Friends Van increased by more than 66 percent over the last year, and the van is frequently booked to capacity,” said Amy Liefer, Foundation Director.
HSHS St. Joseph’s Foundation fully funds the Friends Van program, and they have launched a $100,000 campaign to support the purchase and first year of operations of the second van.
The service area for the Friends Van encompasses a 20-mile radius of Highland and includes Highland, Breese, Grantfork, Alhambra, Pocahontas, St. Jacob, Marine, Pierron, Aviston, Trenton, and Troy. The van operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Learn more about how you can give by emailing Amy Liefer, Foundation Director, at amy.liefer@hshs.org or calling (618) 651-2589 for additional information.
