NORTHWEST VALLEY CONNECT TO 2015.PDF

Created: 09/19/2014
Last updated: 05/21/2015
Page 1
General information
Organization Northwest Valley Connect
Contact First name Kathryn
Contact Last name Chandler
Contact e-mail kchandler@northwestvalleyconnect.org
Contact phone number 623-282-9304
Address
Street 16752 N Greasewood St
City Surprise
State AZ
ZIP Code 85374
From what tribe is the organization requesting the grant?
Tohono O’odham Nation
Total grant amount request
50,000
The Gila River Indian Community offers multi-year awards. If your organization is requesting a multi-year grant for this
project or program from the Gila River Indian Community, enter the amount to be requested each year.
Amount
Year 1 (Gila River Indian Community Only)
Year 2 (Gila River Indian Community Only)
Year 3 (Gila River Indian Community Only)
Year 4 (Gila River Indian Community Only)
Year 5 (Gila River Indian Community Only)
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INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
P. 0. BOX 2508
CINCINNATI, OH 45201
Employer Identification Number:
Date: 46-4635030
DLN:
17053288365004
NORTHWEST VALLEY CONNECT Contact Person:
PO BOX 9303 MRS. M. TAYLOR ID# 52449
SURPRISE, AZ 85374 Contact Telephone Number:
(877) 829-5500
Accounting Period Ending:
December 31
Public Charity Status:
170(b)(1) (A) (vi)
Form 990 Required:
Yes
Effective Date of Exemption:
March 14, 2014
Contribution Deductibility:
Yes
Addendum Applies:
No
Dear Applicant:
We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax
exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax
under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to you are
deductible under section 170 of the Code. You are also qualified to receive
tax deductible bequests/ devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106
or 2522 of the Code. Because this letter could help resolve any questions
regarding your exempt status, you should keep it in your permanent records.
Organizations exempt under section 501 (c)(3) of the Code are further classified
as either public charities or private foundations. We determined that you are
a public charity under the Code section(s) listed in the heading of this
letter.
For important information about your responsibilities as a tax-exempt
organization, go to www.irs.gov/charities. Enter "4221-PC" in the search bar
to view Publication 4221-PC, Compliance Guide for 501(c)(3) Public Charities,
which describes your recordkeeping, reporting, and disclosure requirements.
Sincerely/
^3
Director/ Exempt Organizations
Letter 947

Northwest Valley Connect: Providing Mobility Coordination in the Northwest Valley and
Transportation Options for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Sun Health and Benevilla, two nonprofit organizations serving the Northwest Valley
embarked upon a three-phase research project from January – June 2013, which included
community leader interviews, focus groups and a mail survey to area residents in order to
better understand the needs of the Northwest Valley communities of Sun City, Sun City
West, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, El Mirage and Youngtown. The lack of affordable, reliable
transportation options for medical appointments, shopping and social trips was the prevalent
problem. The formation of NVC is a direct result of such coordination activities of Benevilla
and Sun Health Services, as well as other critical stakeholders.
Sun Health and Benevilla partnered together to create a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization called
Northwest Valley Connect (NVC) in March of 2014. NVC provides Mobility Management
and coordination of existing transportation options for seniors and persons with disabilities in
the Northwest Valley while also creating new options that help to fill existing gaps in
transportation service.
NVC was incorporated in March 2014. NVC is governed by its own Board comprised of three
representatives of Benevilla, three representatives of Sun Health and three community
representatives. An Executive Director/Mobility Manager with extensive background in
Mobility Management and public transportation operations and administration was hired in June
2014.
NVC’s mission is to provide personalized support to connect seniors and people with
disabilities with available transportation services, while developing new transportation options
to overcome existing service gaps. And NVC’s vision is to advocate, facilitate and coordinate
accessible, adequate transportation services in the northwest region of the Phoenix metropolitan
area, thereby promoting quality of life among the residents we serve.
NVC’s Call-Click-Connect Center is a one-call-does-it-all service for transportation needs in
the Northwest Valley. NVC provides a Mobility Management service that is able to direct
community residents to available public, private and a volunteer transportation resource based
upon their needs and is available without a fee.
NVC’s Call-Click-Connect Center launched in September of 2014 and has since helped 731
callers find the transportation option for the trip they needed. The majority of the calls have
come from the Northwest Valley although there have been calls from those as far away as
Mesa, Anthem, Avondale and Whittman. Our call center operators have a database of
transportation providers who span the Metro Phoenix area.
Graph of the cities callers are residents of - (SCW – Sun City West, SC – Sun City, SCG –
Sun City Grand, SWV – Southwest Valley)

0% 2% 8 Months ‐ 731 calls SCW
1%
SC
1% 4% 8% Surprise
SCG
2% 31%
4% Peoria
SWV
7% Young
El Mirage
2% Glendale
11% Corta Bella
27% Rural West
Phx
May 21, 2015 Other
Of the calls received 47% of the trips requested were for medical appointments. 23% of the
calls were from a resident, family member or caregiver asking for information on a resident’s
behalf. In some cases as they need to prepare for a ‘giving up the keys’ life changing
experience. NVC provides mobility coaching, travel training and will help with ADA
Paratransit paperwork.
Purpose of Trips
8%
Medical
22%
47% general info
social
shopping
23%
NVC’s Group Connect program strives to serve those who no longer drive or who have to limit
their driving. The group trips are scheduled as social trips to allow those residents to go as a group
to the mall, baseball games, movies and other social outings. 22% of our calls are for social trips.
NVC’s Mobility Manager provides the coordination of group trips in a calendar that includes all of
the areas senior and community centers in order to provide more options for residents, the ability
to fill trip vehicles (lessening the need to cancel trips that do not fill) and reducing duplication of
service. NVC’s group trips are provided at a minimal cost to the rider.

In addition to transportation coordination, NVC is working to fill identified gaps in transportation
services in the Northwest Valley with a hybrid of volunteer and paid driver transportation services,
paying special attention to the evening hours and weekends, times when available services are
almost nonexistent. While many regular appointments can be arranged for weekday travel, others,
such as urgent care, hospital discharges, church and social visits, cannot. This is where NVC’s
professionally managed transportation service will make a difference.
The Ride Connect transportation service will be professionally managed using paid dispatcher
services and transportation software to ensure efficiency of operations and trips. The service
will be provided using passenger vehicles and a grant funded accessible Minivan.
Passenger vehicles are a combination of both volunteer-owned vehicles and vehicles that will be
donated by community residents.
NVC’s Ride Connect launched May 2015 with volunteer drivers transporting clients whose trips
are not available by other providers. 90% of these trips are medical appointments. Riders are
asked to help cover the cost of their ride with a donation. Volunteer drivers use their own vehicles
and are paid a mileage reimbursement. Our drivers offer an added assistance needed for door
through door transportation.
a. NVC has made large strides in its first year of service and has filled a need for those
searching for transportation in the Northwest Valley where transportation options are
limited. A dispatcher/project coordinator focusing on choosing the right routing software
and implementing the software to its greatest efficiency and effectiveness is our goal. We
are requesting the funding to pay for the salary, benefits and operational support for this
position for the next year.
At this time the Executive Director/Mobility Manager is doing all of the scheduling for the
volunteer call operators and drivers. Hiring the dispatcher/project coordinator for this
function will free the Executive Director up to focus on the development of NVC –
fundraising, marketing, community relations and more. The dispatcher/project coordinator
would be working closely with the Executive Director in developing the RFP, facilitating
the committee to review proposals and choosing routing software. This position would
then facilitate the installation, training, and testing of the routing software before using it to
route our current drivers. This position would also be responsible for coordinating with
Benevilla and their driver supervisors. NVC applied for and the MAG 5310 grant review
committee recommended our application for 5310 (MAP-21) grant funding for routing
software as a joint project with Benevilla.
b. This project will benefit the seniors and persons with disabilities in the northwest
valley of Metro Phoenix area of more than 600,000 people. More than 100,000 of
these residents are seniors. NVC is projected to provide 3000 trips a year and
Benevilla is projected to provide 33,000 trips a year. Our goal is to share this routing
software and its efficiency as a mobility management project with other agencies in the
area to provide more rides using the resources we have.

c. NVC Grant Request Budget:
Dispatcher/project coordinator position for $45,000
one year – Salary + benefits
Computer and office supplies $1500
Cell phone + service for a year $1000
Travel for training $2000
Operations support $500
Total request Budget $50,000
d. No grant request has been made to another organization for this position and the support
requested here. NVC has applied for 5310 MAP-21 grant funding for the Routing software,
for an accessible minivan with ramp, for partial funding of the Mobility Manager position,
for operating assistance to help with the mileage reimbursement for volunteer drivers,
vehicle insurance and volunteer retention, and for a taxi voucher program. All of the 5310
applications have been recommended for funding – the Routing software at 100% of
request, the vehicle at 100% of funding request, the operating at 100% of request, the
mobility manager position at 80% of requested funding, and the taxi voucher program at
50% of funding request. This process goes through a number of MAG committees before
it is finalized and approved. At this point it has gone through the first two committees
without changes. NVC as a nonprofit has a fundraising plan and has an ongoing
fundraising program from donor organizations and individuals.
e. NVC has never received a 12% distribution from the Tohono O’odham Nation or any other
of Arizona’s tribes.
f. NVC contact information: Kathryn Chandler/Executive Director –PO Box 9303 Surprise
AZ 85374 kchandler@northwestvalleyconnect.org 623-282-9304 c-928-607-9467 fax 623-
282-9301
Alternate contact – Jennifer Drago/ Chair of NVC Board of Directors – 14719 W Grand
Ave. Surprise AZ 85374 jennifer.drago@sunhealth.org 623-832-5563 c-602-321-7831
g. NVC’s priority is on getting the one position to be both dispatcher/projects coordinator.
h. NVC is a nonprofit and will work with Maricopa County to receive the funds that the
Tohono O’odham chooses to empower our organization with to help those in need of
transportation for their healthcare needs and quality of life in the northwest valley.