After coming onto the board in the fall of 2019, Sharon Zeiler has been elected as the president of the Dauphin & District Handi-Van for 2022. According to Zeiler, the Handi-Van is important to the community because so many people need it to get to and from work, to get to appointments in and out of town.
By being elected as the president of the Handi-Van, Zeiler feels like she has big shoes to fill since former president Stern Richardson stepped down after such a long tenure. She says going through COVID-19 was also really challenging for the Handi-Van
"As we are a non-profit organization, we rely on getting grants... which helped us stay afloat. Unfortunately, with the cost of gas and everything going up, we had to see an increase in [the price of] our trips, which, unfortunately, we don't like to have to do."
As president, Zeiler wants to keep the Handi-Van promoted and wants to remind people that everyone is welcome to use it. You could use it to go uptown to get your groceries if you're unable to get transportation otherwise, and drivers can help you to and from the door, as well as assist you with your packages.
She also wanted to thank the rest of the board members who help make the operation of the Handi-Van possible.