04 Feb SARTA Bus Passes Given to Homeless by Malone Graduate Students
Mu Alpha Omega, Malone University‘s honors society for graduate counseling students, recently raised a total of $1,814 to buy Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) bus passes for homeless residents who need transportation to mental health services.
This project started as a way to help underserved populations in the community and increase access to mental health services. It was suggested by Haven of Rest emergency shelter to buy bus passes because their residents have difficulty accessing transportation to their mental health appointments.
Through Vertical Rise, an online fundraising service, the team raised $907. SARTA then matched their donation dollar-for-dollar to total $1,814.
The team consisted of students Brian Starcher, who organized this project, Julie Goff, Morgan Stair, and Mariah Aubihl, and included Faculty Advisers Sonji Gregory and Katie Gamby
“MU Alpha Omega’s primary goal is to bring mental health awareness and prevention to both Malone and the surrounding community, so this service project was very fulfilling,” said Gregory.
The bus passes will be donated to Haven of Rest and other homeless shelters in Stark and Summit Counties.