WHAT: The American Cancer Society (ACS) in Maryland is pleased to announce that its 2019 Road to Recovery program, powered by MileOne Autogroup, is providing more free rides than ever before for cancer patients who need transportation to their treatment. In January 2019 alone, 679 additional rides were provided to cancer patients thanks to the donation of $26,000 from MileOne Autogroup. This new MileOne Autogroup partnership funds free rides to treatment for cancer patients in Baltimore City and Baltimore County when they are too sick to drive themselves or don’t have friends or relatives to take them and the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery volunteer drivers are not available.
Rides funded thanks to MileOne Autogroup are arranged through an American Cancer Society partnership with Ride Health and its transportation partners. Ride Health teamed up with ACS in Baltimore in June 2018 to fill ride requests when Road to Recovery volunteer drivers are not available, but this additional transportation source requires continuous funding.
MileOne Autogroup CEO Steve Fader commented “Lack of available, affordable transportation is one of the biggest barriers to completing cancer treatment for patients who do not have the resources to get to all their appointments. MileOne Autogroup wants to eliminate as many outside sources of stress as possible for cancer patients so they can focus on what truly matters – getting the treatments they need to heal.”
During 2018, more than 450 cancer patients in Maryland were served with almost 10,000 free rides through the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program. Approximately 3,200 rides were provided by Road to Recovery volunteer drivers and 6,800 rides were provided through the American Cancer Society’s arrangement with Ride Health.
WHO: Steve Fader, MileOne Autogroup CEO
Tswana Sewell, Executive Director of American Cancer Society, Maryland/DC Area
INFO: For more about Road to Recovery, to request a ride to treatment, or to volunteer to become a Road to Recovery driver, call 1-800-227-2345 or see www.cancer.org/drive.
As a longtime ACS supporter, MileOne Autogroup has also donated two patient transportation vans to Baltimore Hope Lodge, which have logged more than 88,000 miles taking out-of-town patients staying at the lodge to cancer treatment facilities in Baltimore. MileOne Autogroup’s $26,000 donation was raised through the 2018 American Cancer Society MileOne Autogroup Mercedes-Benz raffle. Since 2000, MileOne Autogroup has held an annual car raffle to benefit the American Cancer Society, raising more than $3 million over the years to fund lifesaving cancer research and patient transportation and lodging. The car raffle was established by former MileOne Automotive CEO Jerry Fader, who lost his battle with cancer in 2011. His legacy has been preserved by his family and three sons, Steve, Scott and Brian Fader. Through their efforts and with the help of MileOne Autogroup and its employees, they continue to support the American Cancer Society.
