Donations for van and wheelchair lift needed during CAM's fundraising campaign

May 17—Over the last three months, Coordinated Assistance Ministries has averaged over 30 rides with its Howard County Connect program, a free transportation service that offers residents a ride to essential places such as work, the grocery store and medical appointments.

It's become a large part of the organization's local ministry, CAM Executive Director Dennine Smith said.

But it's also been challenging lately for some of Howard County Connect's patrons who need extra assistance — like those in a wheelchair — Smith noted.

"Our van (with the wheelchair) lift had some major transmission issues last month," she said, "and so we've had to do without a van with a lift for about three weeks now. We do still have our standard minivan, but this has obviously excluded a few of our riders who use that service."

And so that's perhaps where you come in.

Sunday is "CAM Sunday," a fundraising effort which invites families, businesses and individuals to help celebrate CAM's role in the Howard County community.

And with a specific need in mind this year (a new van with a wheelchair lift), Smith hopes the community will come together like never before.

"The partnerships that we have in the community, they're everything," Smith said. "They are what make it possible for us to be able to offer many of these services. ... When we have different needs that arise, the community always steps it up."

Smith added that another unique aspect of a program like Howard County Connect, which launched in 2021, is the fact that it runs when the trolleys don't, Smith noted.

"That was one of the key reasons why we set up our schedule the way we did," she said. "It's there to meet the need that we know is there when the trolleys stop running. We serve a variety of patrons who have a variety of needs in terms of getting to where they need to go."

So whether it's $31, $310 or $3,100 (in celebration of CAM's 31st year in business), Smith said she just hopes this weekend that people will find it in their hearts to give to an organization that is turning around and giving so much to others.

"What I hope will come from this year is just more awareness about the different types of services that CAM offers and that it serves not just the homeless in particular, but it's a variety of folks in our community that just happen to need a particular thing," she said. "And we are fortunate that we're able to provide these different types of services that make it possible for folks to get the things that they need. And in this case, it's something as simple as transportation."