Terry Granillo, Encompass director of finance, displays a retired Metro Vanpool van that he picked up Feb. 4. The van, awarded to Encompass in December 2009, will allow more children to go on field trips during summer and break camps.
The dark green Chevrolet Astro van, with room for a driver and seven passengers, is one of 27 county vans that were part of Metro Transit’s fleet for at least six years and reached the end of their service life. The contribution of the vans to Encompass and other county nonprofit organizations was approved by the King County Council.
“This is great news,” says Nela Cumming, Encompass director of program development. “We have wanted to enhance our camp programming for 7- to 9-year-olds, and the van will allow us to do just that. With a van on site, we will now be able to provide a much wider range of field trips than we have been able to do. In addition, our Birth-to-Three Early Intervention and Family Support programs will use the van for transporting donated items to families and making family visits.”
Kathy Lambert, King County Council member who represents the Snoqualmie Valley, says she is gratified that the vans are going to nonprofit organizations that “represent the compassion and diversity we have in King County.”
Since 1995, the council has donated surplused Metro Vanpool vans to nonprofit organizations to provide transportation for the disabled, low-income, young adults and senior citizens. The organizations are responsible for licensing, insuring and maintaining the vehicles.
To see a SnoValley Star article on this news, visit http://snovalleystar.com/2009/12/24/king-county-council-donates-used-vans-to-encompass-and-other-non-profits.