Project Independence: 1,000 Rides and Growing

The Town of North Hempstead celebrated the success of Project Independence's senior transportation program Wednesday afternoon. Port Washington resident Sue Vigilis was honored as the senior who took the 1,000th ride through the program's services.

Port Washington's Imogene Alberman and New Hyde Park resident Ann Amore were also honored. Taxi company representatives and councilmen from various districts of North Hempstead attended the event, which took place at the town's recently opened headquarters for its Department of Services for the Aging, home of Project Independence, in Roslyn Heights.  

All three seniors expressed their appreciation for the town's efforts and commended the program's effectiveness.

"I find the program wonderful," Vigilis said. "Its very helpful. It gives me a sense of security, and I really hope that they can keep it up. I have nothing but great things to say about the cab companies."

Project Independence is a program designed to help town residents 60 years and older support healthy lifestyles in their own homes and communities. In April, the program expanded to include senior transportation. In collaboration with Long Island taxi services, the town offers seniors transportation services for shopping and non-emergency medical visits.  Seniors pay only half the fare when they take a ride to their physician, dentist or healthcare treatment facility through the program, while the shopping services are free.  They simply have to pick up the phone and dial 311 to request the Project Independence service.

Vigilis, a Port Washington resident of 59 years, had plans to move to New York City where transportation was readily available through buses and subways.  She first found out about Project Independence through a neighbor.

"This program has really helped me," she said.  "I would like to thank the town very much for giving me the chance to stay."

Alberman echoed Vigilis' sentiments.

"Its my honor to see something changing to make life better for seniors," she said. "There's a lot of struggling, strife, pain, loneliness, and transportation becomes a reason not to do [things]. Someone taking my hand and leading me to this kind of program where I don't have to force myself makes life easier."

The program was fueled by a grant from Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), who also attended the event.

"It's amazing what you can find in the couches that are located in the state legislature," Johnson said. "Looking underneath [them] you can find a little extra money that's necessary for programs like this."

Supervisor of North Hempstead Jon Kaiman, who helped organize the push for the transportation program, emphasized the success in the collaboration between the public and private sectors.

"We just started this, and word is getting out," he said. "This is a dawning of a new era for us. Really what it shows us is that it does work. We've found great partnership with the private sector, and now we have 1,000 people who have used it."

Kaiman hopes that the transportation program and others like it continue to grow and expand under Project Independence and help make seniors' lives more comfortable. 

"This is just the beginning," Kaiman said. "We are getting bigger and bigger, and we anticipate that throughout the town we are going to be engaged with our senior population in a way that no other community has been."