Faith in Action Georgetown expands office hours with grant

Georgetown nonprofit Faith in Action Georgetown will begin offering full-day office hours March 15.

The extended hours will allow the nonprofit, which provides transportation services for seniors in Georgetown, to better serve its more than 500 clients, FIAG Executive Director Vickie Orcutt said.

“This grant is about mobility management and coordination,” Orcutt said. “We’ve always scheduled rides all day, but now we will have the administrative support to have full-day office hours, and our clients will benefit from our expanded hours.”

The expanded hours were made possible by a $120,000 Federal Transportation Administration grant awarded through the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The City supported the grant, which will allow the nonprofit to work alongside the City’s fixed-route bus system that is expected to launch in August.

The grant will be administered over a two-year period to pay for salaries and program expenses related to the expanded hours.

Orcutt said the grant will allow FIAG to work with the City’s Transit Working Group, which also includes officials from the Georgetown Health Foundation, Capital Metro and the City working together to provide technical and strategic support for the bus system.

Previously, FIAG’s office was open 9 a.m.-noon for client scheduling and coordination; however, the grant will allow the office to open 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

“Not having a car any longer, Faith in Action Georgetown is my only mode of transportation,” said Linda Deal, an FIAG client. “My doctors don’t give me much time in advance, so having those extra hours to call will take the pressure off.”

On Feb. 14, Mayor Dale Ross read a proclamation at Georgetown City Council about Faith in Action Georgetown and their services for area seniors.

FIAG provides transportation for clients age 65 and older who live in Georgetown or the extraterritorial jurisdiction and are able to get in and out of a vehicle without assistance. In 2016, the nonprofit provided more than 6,000 rides to its clients with the help of 215 volunteers. More than 75 percent of rides are for health-related appointments or access to food, Orcutt said.

For more information about volunteering with Faith in Action Georgetown and its services, call (512) 868-9544 or visit www.faithinactiongt.org.