Pictured left to right: Ruthie Hunt (administrator), Liz Hurd (board member), Tom Alcamo (volunteer driver), Mary Owen (Bills Executive VP of Strategic Planning), Kathy Frost (president of the board of directors), and Sandy Crawford (board member and transportation chair)
Through a $50,000 donation approved earlier this year by Ralph Wilson, Jr., the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation presented Aurora Adult Day Services with a new transportation minivan that will be used to shuttle clients to and from their facility for daily services.
"The impact of Mr. Wilson's generosity means that our clients are not isolated in their homes because of a lack of transportation," said Ruthie Hunt, Aurora Adult Day Services administrator. "They will continue to live in the community for a longer period of time. This beautiful new van helps families stay together."
"Mr. Wilson made it his mission to better the lives of others in Western New York, and today's unveiling is another example of his incredible generosity," said Mary Owen, Buffalo Bills Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning. "The Ralph C. Wilson Foundation is proud to support Aurora Adult Day Services and sincerely hopes their new transportation van will make an impact on the clients and families it supports on a daily basis."
Aurora Adult Day Services has reached more than 330 families, offering much-needed opportunities for socialization and mental stimulation of the mentally or physically impaired. The organization relies on specialized vehicles and volunteer drivers to transport their clients – 75 percent of whom have dementia/Alzheimer's and 37 percent of whom are 90-years-old and above.
The van will also be used for client field trips and will be utilized by the Aurora Senior Center as well. The Ralph C. Wilson Foundation has donated $8,500 to Aurora Adult Day Services in each of the last two years.
"We talked about Mr. Wilson's generous donation often and everyone who rides in the van will think it's so wonderful that he cared enough to think about our organization and our clients and getting people into the program," said Hunt. "We're excited."
