Rotary provides free transportation to the homeless, connecting them to essential services

The Rotary Connection shuttle was unveiled earlier this month. Pictured are members of Rotary and their partners. [Photos by Andrew Whited/New Pelican]

By Andrew Whited | New Pelican Writer

Fort Lauderdale – The Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale has launched a free shuttle service to transport homeless individuals to the institutions that provide them with assistance.

Launched earlier this month and supported by the Florida Blue Foundation, the “Rotary Connection” shuttle aims to solve a basic problem: “The number one complaint is that they (homeless individuals) can’t get to where they need to go,” said Gwynne Beatty, Rotary’s club director. 

The service currently includes 45 stops: hospitals and medical facilities, courthouses, the Florida Department of Health, churches, non-profits, stores, and major intersections along A1A: Las Olas Boulevard, Sebastian Street, and Sunrise Boulevard. 

But it’s not just a transportation solution.

“The bus will give us an opportunity on a daily basis to talk to the people on the bus about why they are there, where they are going, what they need, and if they are getting what they need,” said Rick Riccardi, a past president of Rotary.

Pastor Ralph Giachetti, the CEO and president of Go Therefore, a Christian non-profit, provided the bus and funding. 

When Riccardi pitched the idea of the bus, Giachetti said he was immediately intrigued. Once they began working on the project, Giachetti said, “Rick said, ‘We’ll partner with you to get it going, but after that, you’ve got to keep it going.’ We agreed to take on the management responsibility, and here we are.”

Cindy Mason, market leader for the Florida Blue Foundation, said the shuttle fits well with her organization’s goal to help homeless individuals. “It was a perfect alignment to the impact we wanted to make.”

Student Sam Danzig, the winner of the competition to design the wrap for the bus and founder of the WishConnect in 2022 non-profit, said the job of helping those in need is not finished. “This is really just the start.” 

Beatty pointed out that the list is not final. She and Riccardi will collect data to determine if stops need to be added or removed. She hopes the bus, the first of its kind, will be replicated by others.https://www.newpelican.com/articles/rotary-provides-free-transportation-to-the-homeless-connecting-them-to-essential-services/