Angel Bus
Here is an opportunity for you to use your motor home to help others in need. Angel Bus
is an organization that helps people who have a medical condition and limited resources
to get to a distant facility for specialized medical care. For many of these folks, a
motor home is the ideal mode to make this trip. The purpose of Angel Bus is to identify
these people and put them together with volunteer motor home owner/drivers who can
provide the needed transportation.
There are three different organizations involved. They are the Angel Bus itself, the
FMCA Angel Bus chapter, “Friends of Angel Bus,” and the Angel Bus Support Group.
The actual missions (trips) are run by Angel Bus Inc. They ensure that the passengers
actually need the mission, that their condition will not be worsened by it, and that the
driver is qualified. Angel Bus actually plans the mission and informs everyone involved
as to the schedule. The FMCA Friends of Angel Bus chapter will be a social chapter
that is part of the International Area of FMCA. Rallies and meetings will be held where
members can share their experiences and have a good time. In addition to having fun
and meeting folks who have a common interest, they will also have a mission of
recruiting motor home owners to become volunteer drivers for Angel Bus. Anyone is
welcome to join any one, two or all, of these three groups.
Angel Bus started in 2000 and regularly conducted missions, where bus conversion
owners provided transportation for people who had serious medical problems and had
to get to a distant hospital or get back home. Mercy Medical Airlift currently is
managing missions and has established a web site for Angel Bus at http://www.angel-
bus.org/. If you have any interest in running a mission you should check out the
"Volunteer Handbook" section on the web site. It should answer most of your questions.
SOME KEY POINTS
· Angel Bus volunteer drivers only provide transportation, not food or medical
assistance.
· Most passengers, including all children, will be accompanied by an assistant
(parent).
· Each volunteer will be thoroughly briefed on each mission before committing to it.
· Each volunteer has the right to refuse any mission for any (or no) reason.
· Trips more than 500 miles are usually arranged in a relay with additional
volunteers.
· Most volunteers will be offered about one mission a year unless they ask for more.
· In most cases, each mission will begin or end near the volunteer's home.
· Angel Bus Inc. and FMCA are not affiliated with each other.
· You must be an FMCA member to belong to the “Friends of Angel Bus” chapter.
· Chapter membership does not require that you are an Angel Bus volunteer.
· Angel Bus is a 501(C)(3) charity and all expenses are tax deductible.
· By joining Angel Bus, you too can experience the personal satisfaction of knowing
that you helped make a significant difference in someone's life. If you have an interest
in assisting in this worthwhile endeavor, contact Jerry Hardacre: JHard1138@Gmail.
com or 765-744-1691.