Aims to Improve Transportation Access and Increase Community Involvement
for Residents of Care Facilities in McLeod County
June 29, 2022: Mid-Minnesota Development Commission (MMDC) is the recipient of a 2022 AARP Community Challenge Grant. The organization will receive $12,800 to help residents of care facilities (e.g., assisted living facilities, group homes, etc.) afford and access public transit services. The vast majority of funds will be used to purchase ride tokens and passes from Trailblazer Transit, McLeod county’s public transit service provider. These tokens and passes will be distributed to care facilities who can, in turn provide them to their residents. Along with the tokens, residents will receive educational materials that will help them easily connect with the transit ride they need. Recipients may either use the tokens/passes themselves or share them with friends or family who could use them to visit them at their home or meet the recipient at a coffee shop, restaurant, community event, or other location.
“With the assistance of this Community Challenge Grant, MMDC hopes to remove financial barriers to public transportation while also improving residents’ comfort level with public transit services. At the same time, we hope to help them increase and maintain healthy levels of community participation”, said Mid-Minnesota Development Commission Transportation Resource Coordinator, Terry Smith. “This project would not have been possible without the generous support of AARP”. While over 3,000 organizations applied, MMDC was one of just 260 AARP Community Challenge Grant recipients. “We’re very excited about this opportunity to enhance service to our McLeod County residents. We can’t thank AARP enough for their support”, added Smith.