By Violet Li
A new volunteer-run driving program has arrived in the City of Casey, aiming to help people who need support in learning to drive.
Donate 2 Drive, a non-profit organisation that originally started in Vermont South, has expanded this year to partner with neighbourhood houses after seeing a huge need across other areas. Hampton Park Neighbourhood House is one of the partners.
The program runs two days every week surrounding the Hampton Park Neighbourhood House. According to chief executive officer Rosamund Tyler, the Monday Safe Start Program is for the participants of the English language classes in the neighbourhood house, and the Thursday program is open to the whole community.
She said the main aim is to provide free driving lessons to learners.
“We call it the Traffic Light Pathways Program. That’s a three-tiered stage,” she said.
“The first stage is the red light. It’s stop. Do you have your learners? Where are you at with your journey? And that’s where we help participants get their ID. Have they booked in to get their learners?
“Then it goes on to the amber light. Let’s get you driving. Let’s get your mandatory hours.
“We follow on to the green light. You’re going for your Ps. What can we do? Do you need any additional hours? Are you actually feeling confident? Because at the end of the day, no matter where they are in that stage, we want them to be confident. It’s all about road safety.”
Rosamund said there are now more than 40 students in Thursday’s program.
She recalled that she came up with the initiative when her daughter was learning to drive.
“I had the flexibility with work. But many parents couldn’t take them financially, not able to do so. So, it stemmed from that, seeing the need,” she said.
“I guess everybody has their volunteer thing. Some people walk dogs, other people feed the homeless, but this was the need that we saw that would hopefully make a really big difference.”
