Southwest Outreach for Older People dba Ride Connect Texas
Opening more than car doors
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Most Americans outlive their driving ability by seven to ten years. What happens in those years can have significant impact on quality of life. Ride Connect Texas works to provide transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities who very often live in poverty, and who need assistance reaching doctor's appointments, purchasing groceries and filling prescriptions, attending church services, and more. With the diversity of programs provided by Ride Connect, those who receive rides are less likely to suffer from social isolation, do without needed services and supplies, and may lose their independence and be forced into assisted living before it would otherwise become necessary.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Volunteer-assisted transportation
Through the help of volunteer drivers, we are able to provide transportation services to eligible seniors. Each ride is door-through-door, which offers personalized, hands-on assistance to older adults who may no longer be able to drive. Our volunteers will wait with you during your medical appointment and drive you back home.
Wheelchair-accessible van rides
Our ADA accessible van enables us to provide door-to-door service by providing rides to clients when a volunteer driver is unavailable or when a quick turnaround is needed. Our clients are taken to the same destinations served by our Volunteer Assisted Rides program across our city to include medical appointments, shopping, pharmacies, work, post offices, visit relatives, errands and etc.
Joy Rides
Rides to worship services, often in conjunction with members of the congregation.
Accessible Shuttle Rides
Through our collaboration with Presa Transportation Coalition, our ADA accessible shuttle service is another option available for riders providing curb-to-curb service.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
United Way Member Agency 2017
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of rides provided for seniors and individuals with disabilities
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Economically disadvantaged people, Retired people
Related Program
Volunteer-assisted transportation
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
March 2020, the Volunteer-Assisted Rides program was suspended due to COVID-19. It was not possible to socially distance in personal vehicles. Only Mobile and Shuttle rides operated thru Dec. 2021.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The goal of Ride Connect Texas is to promote independence, preserve dignity, and enhance the quality of life of older adults and people with disabilities by coordinating and providing transportation services. These services are provided to ensure that older people and people with disabilities have transportation to resources and services needed to maintain independence, promote health aging, and live a good quality of life.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Continue the successful programs and add additional activities as needed by the community. One of the most important strategy is that all riders are contacted following their use of Ride Connect Texas through a "reassurance call." This means the rider is contacted within 48 hours of the ride, asked about their ride experience, and asked if they need to schedule additional services.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Ride Connect Texas, the result of a merger between Southwest Outreach for Older People (SWOOP) and Southeast Community Outreach for Older People (SCOOP) have joined forces to better serve seniors and individuals with disabilities who live on San Antonio's south side (south of Culebra Road, within Loop 1604). In addition to economy of scale made possible by the merger, the combined skills of employees from both organizations have made a stronger, more responsible service organization.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
From a handful of rides provided to seniors in 2012, Ride Connect Texas will provide 10,000 rides in 2018. The tagline of "opening more than car doors" inspires Ride Connect Texas to continue to work to ensure that seniors and individuals with disabilities do not have lives restricted by limited transportation services.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Southwest Outreach for Older People dba Ride Connect Texas
Board of directorsas of 01/30/2024
Dr. Norma Martinez-Rogers
University of Texas Health, School of Nursing - Professor Emeritus
Term: 2022 - 2025
Brian Tate
Toyota
Carl Negley
Medvolution
Stacy C Ferguson, JD
Attorney
Julie V Rondan, MS, CHM
Opening Eyes Life Coaching & Consulting
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data