Executive Director’s Corner

Message from the Executive Director (full transcript below)

Greetings,

So excited to inform you that on November 19, 2021, RideFinders celebrated its 40th Year Anniversary! We invited you to participate in our celebration with "40 Days of Good for 40 Years of Service" using the hashtag 40for40ridefinders.

How wonderful to be able to share the RideFinders story with you. Especially since it has been a time of uncertainty, and challenges on many levels due to the pandemic and its expected and unexpected impacts. Yet, there have been opportunities that have arisen because of resilience, innovation, creative partnerships and that part of human nature that is vital to survival and transformation -compassion!  Walt Disney said “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Your RideFinders Team was curious about finding new and better ways to serve the Greater Richmond Region in a manner that reflected the heart we have for improving the quality of life. We enlarged our territory by stepping out of the box of focusing mainly on ridesharing because more and more people were working from home. Additionally, return to work dates were planned and cancelled or rescheduled. We made a conscientious effort to serve as a conduit of knowledge by passing on surveys, links to transportation related documents; to maximize our social media presence by using multiple platforms to engage others; and increase our partnerships to promote public and individual health and wellness, safety tips when ridesharing in car and vanpools, and encourage environmental stewardship through individual and corporate actions.

While we continued to offer a comprehensive suite of free services that have been our mainstay, we also developed new strategies, campaigns, and challenges that were fun, doable and contributed to a sense of well-being. Please take a look at our FY21 Annual Report for a detailed picture of our award-winning efforts and success stories. RideFinders remains an award-winning organization in fiduciary compliance with federal, state and local regulations. Most importantly, our goal is to continue to be an integral part of the transportation network of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and to continue to pursue excellence as we cooperate, collaborate, and communicate in equitable and inclusive ways that meet the needs of the region’s diverse population! Thank you for being on this journey with us!

Best Wishes,

Von S. Tisdale