Foundation gives to charities
Last year, the Bella Vista Foundation distributed $18,500 to three charities, the Bella Vista Animal Shelter, First Tee of Northwest Arkansas and the Benton County Boys & Girls Club. This year it expects to have a larger distribution so it added the Bella Vista Courtesy Van to the charities.
Courtesy Van president Bill Puskas knows exactly how his organization will use the money. By next fall, the organization will be ready to buy a new van, and a new van will cost it about $43,00o, including the price of special equipment to load wheelchairs. He doesn’t expect to receive that much from the golf tournament, but anything that comes in will be put towards the new van.
The Foundation gave all four charities the opportunity to raise even more funds during the silent auction which is part of the Pro-Am party on June 4. Volunteers visited area businesses and asked for donations to become part of the silent auction. It’s hard to go and ask for a donation, Puskas said, but Bella Vista businesses were happy to provide the donations, and those proceeds will go directly to the charity that received the donation.
The chance to meet people during the garden party is also valuable to the charities, Puskas said. It gives them the chance to tell new people about the organization. They may end up volunteering, he said.
The Courtesy Van celebrated 25 years in Bella Vista in 2017. It’s completely operated by volunteers.
On Monday through Thursday, two vans are in service. They pick up Bella Vistans who need transportation to doctor’s appointments or sometimes to the beauty salon or the grocery store. The service is free. On Fridays, there are usually three vans in service.
Volunteers schedulers open the offices at 7 a.m. Puskas said. They listen to messages on the answering machine and assign the pickups to the volunteer drivers. They try to combine a couple of riders for trips when possible. That helps
keep costs down, he said.
The vans go as far north as the Jane Walmart and as far south as Mercy Hospital in Rogers. Many of the riders are on their way to dialysis in Bentonville, he said.
Usually, courtesy-van clients are short term. Either they recover enough to drive or they move to a care facility or in with relatives. Village House, a care facility for adults who can’t stay home alone, is the destination for some Courtesy Van clients.
They are always recruiting for volunteers, Puskas said. There are 46 volunteers on the list, but some of them may be sick or out of town, he said. The insurance company has decided that drivers must retire at 77. After that age, they can become schedulers, but they can no longer drive one of the vans — not even back and forth for repairs, Puskas said.
For more information about Courtesy Van, visit www.bellavistacourtesyvan.com/home, or call 479-855-7663.