LAGRANGE — At the LaGrange County Commissioners meeting Monday, Cheri Perkins was surprised when Commissioner George Bachman asked her to announce the recent gift the LaGrange County Commission on Aging had received.
“I was tongue tied when he brought it up because we don’t yet have the check in our hands, and we are not ready to release the name of the giver,” Perkins, the director of the Council on Aging’s transportation manager said, “So I only mentioned the dollar amount.”
The “gifted” amount is $75,000. The soon-to-be named benefactor left the money to the COA in her will. The letter from an attorney, announcing the gift, arrived two weeks ago.
“The lady often told us, ‘The COA takes good care of me and one day I will take care of you.’ We had no idea she was this serious,” Perkins said.
She manages the countywide bus service. The service is called LCAT, LaGrange County Area Transit.
“We have 10 vans,” Perkins said. “Eight vans are in service all the time. I have two set aside for backup. One van is always out for maintenance.”
She added, “We offer transportation for all county residents. I was told that we are the fastest growing rural public transit service in the state.”
LCAT averages 4,000 trips transporting 12,000 passengers each month. The vans shuttle people to and from work, doctor visits, hospital, nursing homes, hospitals, shopping and other requests.
“I have a huge waiting list for regular weekly service,” Perkins said. “I could run twice as many vans all day if we had them. A grant I wrote just brought in money for two sedans, which will help supplement the calls for shorter trips.” Besides the fares, grants and support from private foundations, individual donors, county, state and federal programs help with the operating costs.
Having to come up with revenue keeps Perkins busy with fundraising and grant writing. As far as expenses go, gasoline and maintenance aren’t the only high cost items. In order to qualify for state and federal monies, the organization and employees have to meet strict guidelines. Insurance coverage and regulations increase operating costs accordingly, so every donation helps.
“We will probably deposit the money with the community foundation, that way many people can benefit from that generous gift,” Perkins said. To learn more about the LaGrange COA visit its website, http://www.lagrangecoa.org.
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Related Photos
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Transportation manager of the LaGrange County Council on Aging, Cheri Perkins, poses with one of the vans the COA uses to transport its clients. DL PERRIN | THE GOSHEN NEWS
LaGrange County Council on Aging receives $75,000 from client’s estate
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