A letter from Jeff DeMario.
It has been 27 months since being awarded a grant from Impact the Palm Beaches. The days after receiving our check have been life altering for the youth in our care. The grant allowed us to purchase two large passenger vans, but it is what these vans do that has created so much impact for Vita Nova. Since being awarded, Vita Nova has served over 600 youth by improving transportation and outcomes for things like: pro-social events, employment opportunities, and activities related to education.
Our new Impact vans allow our youth to experience new things that most youth their age get to do. At the same time, they allow us to build trusting relationships while we are transporting. These activities included events like Sunfest, the beach, the Kravis Center, Marlins baseball games, Halloween events and the South Florida Fair. Over 155 youth were able to attend these events in the past two years, and many reported that it was their first-time going to Sunfest, the South Florida Fair and the beach.
Vita Nova loves attending graduations. A large part of completing school for our youth is their ability to get there in the first place. In the past two years our Impact vans have produced 60 graduates in the areas of high school, college, trade programs, and certificate programs. We anticipate this number to grow now that youth can arrive to school more consistently.
Vita Nova has witnessed a cost savings in the past two years of approximately $6,000 a year for lowering our dependence on ride sharing companies like Uber or Lyft. In addition, our Impact vans have boosted our visibility in the community. On a monthly basis, Vita Nova receives phone calls from community members seeing our Impact vans and inquiring more about our agency. This gives us a chance to share our mission and recruit new partners to our cause.
Finally, having our Impact vans has produced many health benefits for our youth. On a weekly basis youth are transported to medical appointments, mental health checks, and emergency rooms. Vita Nova has served over 70 youth a year in this capacity, and our youth are grateful to have a Vita Nova team member along for support on these wellness trips.
There is an ever-growing list of other activities that Vita Nova uses our Impact vans for in any given week. These include things like: attending youth conferences, grocery shopping, helping move youth in (or out) of housing, transporting youth to get their drivers licenses or other important documentation, getting medications, or attending trade programs. We cannot be more thankful to Impact the Palm Beaches for allowing us the opportunity and the time to share these experiences with our youth. We are forging positive bonds with every trip and helping our youth become more productive citizens in our community. This level of impact is priceless. Thank you.
Jeff DeMario
Vita Nova Inc.
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