County Council approves “retired” County vans for District 9 Maple Valley and Covington organizations

May 27, 2014

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Three community organizations in Metropolitan King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn’s district were approved today to receive a retired King County Metro van. Vine Maple Place, The Transitions Program at the Tahoma School District and the Real Life Church were the three recipients in District 9.

The County Council today unanimously approved the transfer of retired Metro vans to provide transportation assistance to local governments, community programs, senior citizens and young people.

“By transferring retired metro vans to these organizations we are helping them to continue their extraordinary work to the residents of southeast King County,” said Dunn.

Vine Maple Place located in Maple Valley is an organization that breaks the cycle of homelessness by assisting single parents and their children build lives of hope, stability, and greater self-sufficiency.

“Thank you for the gift of this van! It is very important for us to be able to provide for the needs of the children through transportation to tutoring and counseling appointments, educational field trips and activities,” said Michelle Frets of Vine Maple Place. “It is also critical to help the moms with emergency transportation needs. Thank you for providing such a valuable tool to help these families build stability.”

The Tahoma School District’s Transitions program prepares students and young people with disabilities for a better quality of life and helps them develop as much independence as possible.

“Tahoma School District’s Student Transition Program is very grateful for the generous donation of a van from King County Metro and the office of Councilmember Reagan Dunn. The goal of the Transition Program is to maximize the potential for developmentally disabled students to find employment,” said Linda Mount, Secretary of the Transitions Program. “Having this additional transportation available will provide our staff the ability to transport our students to a wider variety of employment training opportunities. Thank you for your generous support.”

The Real Life Church is an active community church located in Covington. Real Life Church assists members of the community in transporting seniors and youth around southeast King County for numerous activities and outings.

“Real Life Church feels very privileged to receive a van from King County to assist in our effort to provide transportation for the disabled, low-income, young adults, and senior citizens of the Covington, Maple Valley, Black Diamond, Ravensdale areas of south King County,” Said Steve Murray, the Senior Pastor of the Real Life Church.

Since 1996, the County Council has transferred more than 460 retired vans from Metro’s Vanpool program to local nonprofit organizations to provide transportation for the disabled, low-income, young adults, and senior citizens. Governments, agencies and organizations that receive the vans must meet specific requirements.

The vanpool 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. If you’re interested in more information or for applying for a vehicle, please contact Councilmember Dunn’s office at 206-477-1009.