Kid One feels pain at the pump!

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Kid One feels pain at the pump!; Gas costs squeeze kids' service
Topic Started: Jun 16 2008, 09:56 PM (33 Views)
san	Jun 16 2008, 09:56 PM Post #1
Posts: 1,948 Group: Admins Member #4 Joined: Jan 24, 2008	From www.kidone.org and The Montgomery Advertiser: Gas costs squeeze kids' service By Robyn Bradley Litchfield • rlitchfield@gannett.com • May 29, 2008 A single mom in Montgomery with no vehicle, Pamela Hooks doesn't know how she would get her four little ones to the doctor without Kid One. The nonprofit organization provides children and expectant mothers across the state with safe, reliable transportation to medical, dental and mental health-care services. "I couldn't do it without Kid One," Hooks said as she and Kid One driver Marva Watkins buckled in Hooks' children, Angelenna Thomas, 2 months; Marques Williams, 2; A.C. Fox Williams Jr., 4; and Deshone Hooks, 7. And she hopes she doesn't have to. But as drivers across the nation face rising prices at the pump, Kid One is also really feeling the squeeze. Since 1997, the group's simple mission has been to remove transportation as a barrier to quality health care throughout the state. Right now, Kid One's biggest challenge is paying for gasoline. "We have seen a $2,500 increase in gas costs from April to May, and we see no relief in sight," said Karen Peterlin, Kid One's CEO. "We will have to take cuts in other non-essential services to keep our vehicles on the road. Getting children and expectant mothers to the doctor is our first priority." "Non-essentials" include such things as cutting back on the number of newsletters, conducting only on-site training sessions, cutting out all professional print jobs and leaving vacant administrative support positions unfilled. Kid One also has several mini-vans that are missing hubcaps, but the organization has decided to use the money that it would take to replace them to purchase gas, Peterlin said. Most of us take transportation for granted, she said. "We enjoy the luxury of our personal vehicles and never have to concern ourselves with whether or not we can travel from one place to the next. For most of us, transportation is a given," Peterlin said. Still, there are people who have no access to vehicles or mass transportation. There are some families who do have vehicles, but they must make a choice between putting gas in the car or food on the table. For the past 11 years, Kid One has served Hooks' family and thousands of others across the state. Peterlin said there have been many stories of tragedy and heartache, but there have also been many more tales of triumph and joy. There's the story of Tyshawn, a toddler from the Black Belt who has cerebral palsy and requires regular treatments at Children's Hospital of Alabama, which is in Birmingham. Tyshawn's mother had no way of getting him to such specialty care. In 2005, Tyshawn accidentally pulled a pan of boiling water onto himself and suffered severe burns that required numerous trips to Children's Hospital for skin grafts and other treatments. Without Kid One, Peterlin said, what would be Tyshawn's fate? Hooks is blessed with four healthy children, but she wants to ensure they receive regular checkups, immunizations and such. "They've helped me out a lot," Hooks said. She can only hope people will be willing to help out Kid One get through this financially trying time. Dashone Hooks, 7, waves goodbye to a friend as he buckles into the Kid One van to leave for a doctor's appointment. (Julie Bennett) HOW TO HELP Kid One has cut non-essential services (cutting back on the number of newsletters, conducting only on-site training sessions and leaving vacant administrative support positions unfilled) to cover rising gasoline prices, but the organization still needs financial help. You can make online donations at www.kidone.org. To donate cash or gift cards for gasoline, call 205-978-1001 to make arrangements. Donations of gently used vehicles and high-capacity vans with lifts are also accepted. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080529/LIFESTYLE/805290309/1007/news01 www.kidone.org Edited by san, Jun 16 2008, 09:58 PM.



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