Senior Transportation Connection

We’re halfway through Week Without Driving, and what we keep hearing is simple. People aren’t asking for much. They want to see their doctor, pick up their groceries, sit with someone they love. They want to get there. For many of our neighbors, that one trip is the hardest part of the day. $25 changes that. It puts one neighbor in a vehicle, door to door, with a driver who helps them from their door to the vehicle. If this week has stayed with you, there is a way to help someone else get where they need to go. Donate at the link in the comments below.

It’s Monday. Did your week start with a list? A doctor’s appointment across town. The pharmacy. Groceries. A shift at work, or a volunteer morning. A visit to a family member in assisted living. If you drive, that’s an ordinary week. If you don’t, every item on the list is its own question: how do I get there, and how do I get back?

For older adults and adults with disabilities who don’t drive, the answer decides which trips happen and which quietly fall off the list. Door-to-door rides keep people connected to the people and places that matter, all week long.

Cleveland, please welcome Anna Zivarts! 👋

Anna is a disability activist, a low-vision parent, author of When Driving Is Not an Option, and creator of A Week Without Driving. She's coming to town to talk about mobility for "the other third," the nearly one in three Americans who don't drive.

📅 Monday, Oct. 26 · Noon
📍 Midtown Collaboration Center, 1974 E. 66th St.
🥪 Brown bag lunch, with beverages provided

🎟️ Register: link in comments

Here is the math of not driving. A bus that comes every hour. A stop four blocks away, uphill, with no bench. A transfer. A two-hour appointment that costs five hours of the day. Groceries you can carry in two hands, so you shop three times a week instead of once.

None of that shows up on a map. All of it decides whether someone goes.

Follow along in our stories as Laura continues to share her Week Without Driving experience.

Today begins the Week Without Driving. Follow along in our stories as our Executive Director Laura Kleinman shares her experience as she spends the week without her keys.

Over the next eight days, people across the country are leaving the car in the driveway. Not for a challenge or a photo. To find out what it actually takes to get to work, to the pharmacy, and to a friend's house without a car. For thousands of older adults and adults with disabilities, that isn't a week. It's every day.

Don't miss a stop on the journey with Senior Transportation Connection! The first edition of The Ride Along, STC's monthly newsletter, has officially arrived.

Each month, we'll keep it simple:
-One rider's story
-One number worth knowing
-One update on where we're going
-One way you can help
That's the whole formula.

If you didn't receive The Ride Along in your inbox this morning, now is the perfect time to join our email list and stay connected to the people, stories, and impact that keep our community moving.

👇 Click the link in the comments to read the first edition and subscribe.

Don’t miss the Mandel JCC Senior Day and be sure to visit STC at this event! Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 17. Register today.

Register

Mark your calendars for the Mandel JCC Senior Day - Thursday, September 17 from 9:30AM - 2:30PM. Be sure to stop by the STC table and say hello! Registration link is in the comments.

Thank you to the Cleveland Department of Aging for bringing our community together at the Summer Senior Walk at Collinwood Park yesterday!

It was great to connect with older adults and community partners who are committed to helping Cleveland seniors stay active, healthy, and engaged. Events like these remind us how important mobility and connection are to overall well-being.

We are always grateful for the opportunity to share how transportation helps older adults maintain their independence and stay connected to the people, places, and activities that matter most.