Three area non-profit organizations received retired RideShare vans through the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority's (DART) van donation program. The recipients for the 2017 donation are ChildServe, Community Youth Concepts and Genesis Inc. Nineteen organizations applied for the vans.
The van donation program was started by the DART Board of Commissioners in 2014 to help meet transit needs of community organizations by donating RideShare vans that were being retired from DART’s fleet.
ChildServe will use its van for group respite and day habilitation programs for individuals with special needs. Community Youth Concepts will use its van to complete community service projects and expand its reach in central Iowa. Genesis Inc. will use its van to transport the students it serves to various programs under a new initiative to give them access to after-school education on healthy living, STEM, leadership and communication.