Last week, the Marshall County Commissioners approved the second-quarter claim to INDOT from the Marshall County Council on Aging.
Janis Holiday, Executive Director of the Council on Aging said in the second quarter of the year they had expenses of $130,620 and receipts in the way of fares in the amount of $14,094 bringing their net expenses to $116,526. The local match for the net amount is $29,132.
Additional stats that Holiday provided included 7,590 trips in the second quarter and drove 52,310 miles. Holiday said, “That number of trips for the 7,590 miles put us over 15,000 miles for the year. If we keep that up obviously we will hit 30,000 trips which is about 3,000 over our record so far.”
Janis Holiday also shared, “the secret to their success.” It is the drivers. Currently, they have 12 drivers plus 3 in the office that are licensed and trained and can drive if needed. Holiday said all 12 of the drivers are retired and work part-time. Three are retired truck drivers, one driver is retired from Hoosier Tire, one from United Telephone, a retired chef, a gentleman who was a missionary in Africa for 44 years, a sheet metal worker, a proposal writer, a tool developer, a stable manager, an HR professional and two of them are also veterans.
Holiday told the commissioners, “Our drivers are there because they want to help people. Obviously, as a non-profit, we don’t pay a lot of money but they are there and they want to help as much as they can this is a great way for them to do it and it certainly helps us get out job done.”
Holiday said she prefers the driver counts to be at 15 but it is working with 12. She said they are always accepting applications. Anyone interested in a driving position with the Council on Aging can call the office at 574-936-9904 for information on how to apply for a position.
