Glover Empower Mentoring, a Kent-based nonprofit that mentors young men ages 13-21, last month received a surplus van from King County.
King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove delivered the seven-passenger van to G.E.M. on April 20.
“I’m thrilled that this ‘retired’ county van will be used to help young men in Kent succeed and build community,” Upthegrove said in a press release. “We’ve all heard the stories of young people whose lives were changed by a caring adult. G.E.M. is making those stories become reality for so many in South King County.”
G.E.M. will primarily use the van to transport mentees to and from weekly group meetings, community events and educational field trips. Participants attended weekly meetings where they share a meal and work on goal setting, confidence building, job skills, budgeting and tutoring.
“Transportation has been a barrier to enhancement of the mentor/mentee relationship,” said Kendrick Glover, G.E.M.’s co-founder and president in the release. “The donation of this van will not only help eliminate this barrier but provide growth and opportunity for exposure of educational and recreational activities.”
Since 1995, the County Council has donated vans from Metro’s Vanpool to local cities and nonprofit organizations to provide transportation for low-income, elderly, youth and disabled residents. The vans are part of a fleet of county vehicles that have been “retired” after exceeding a certain number of miles.
Governments, agencies and organizations that receive a van must meet certain criteria, such as provide an outline of specific plans for its use, demonstrate the ability to provide trained drivers and assure that the van will be made available to assist individuals without regard to affiliation with any particular organization.
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