Sights for Hope’s Monroe Transport Service Boosted by Specially Equipped Van

Sights for Hope’s guided transport service in Monroe County was bolstered recently by the contribution of a specially equipped Dodge Grand Caravan by Elaine Bartholomew of Emmaus, PA.

The van had been converted with a wheelchair lift and space for wheelchair seating by Elaine’s late husband, Richard Bartholomew, a former President of the Emmaus Lions Club. The vehicle is in excellent condition and it allows Sights for Hope to provide more flexible transport options for its Monroe County clients.

Sights for Hope’s guided transport service increases its clients’ access to life-sustaining medical care, food supplies, Sights for Hope programs, and other critical services. The transport service is “door-through-door,” which means that its specially-trained drivers provide safe rides, guide clients from their homes and into their destinations, and provide additional assistance – such as reading paperwork and carrying bags.

Sights for Hope transforms the lives of people with visual impairments and blindness by removing the barriers to their independence. Sights for Hope’s services teach adaptive skills to accomplish daily life activities; provide supports that counter the effects of visual impairments and blindness; increase access to medical care, healthy food, and other essentials; and advance solutions that enhance sight capabilities. More than 40% of Sights for Hope’s clients live below or near the federal poverty line. Founded in 1928, Sights for Hope carries forward in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley and Monroe County a tradition of service inspired by Helen Keller and is a member of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind.

Image: Sights for Hope Transport Driver Byron Jackson and Elaine Bartholomew shake hands in front of a specially equipped blue van that Elaine has donated