Jones Center Lands Van to Transport Seniors

A 15-passenger van valued at $34,824 was recently donated to the Harvey & Bernice Jones Center for Families in Springdale from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.

Details about the donation were reported locally sans the vehicle’s value. A Section 5310 grant from the AHTD for the vehicle was procured by Grace Donoho, the Jones center’s director of education and grants administrator

Through the grant program, the AHTD pays 80 percent of the cost and the award recipient is responsible for the rest. But the Jones Center got a $1,325 community block grant from the city of Springdale to help mitigate the remaining cost.

Donoho, who is also a professor of adult education, said the grant program aims to “improve the mobility of elderly and persons with disabilities.”

“We wanted to be able to transport seniors to and from the Jones Center so that they could be involved in our senior life activities and educational opportunities,” Donoho said. “We want to encourage them to come to the Jones Center and get out and socialize. We will also use the van to assist handicapped folks get here easier and more often, too.”

Plans to establish regular pickup routes at retirement communities such as Hillcrest Towers in Fayetteville are in the works. Volunteer trained drivers will be used to run the routes.