Wheels for Wellness is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit serving Winchester and the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Warren and northern Shenandoah.
Formerly known as Faith in Action, Wheels for Wellness provides free, door-to-door transportation to medical appointments and treatment for those in the service area without other means of transportation.
Faith in Action was founded in 2004 with a $35,000 grant received from the Robert Wood Johnson foundation. A community round-table the prior year exposed the need for transportation to medical appointments and treatments as a community need. At the time Faith in Action was an initiative of the foundation, in 2008 they shifted focus to other areas, however FIA non-profit organizations continue to operate.
In January 2020, the Board of Directors voted to alter the name to WHEELS FOR WELLNESS to more clearly define the mission of the organization. And hopefully become a more readily recognized transportation resource to the area.
The organization has been in continuous operation since 2004. The program is managed by an Executive Director and an independent contractor who manages the volunteer pool and scheduling. The service is provided by a fleet of volunteer drivers. The volunteers use their own vehicles, gas and time. Volunteers are screened and trained by Valley Health Systems.
A dedicated and amazing team of volunteer drivers provide this service to clients. Below are recent statistics for the organization
2016 2017 2018 2019
Total Trips 2,522 3,485 2,964 3,261
City of Winchester 599 761 508 697
Frederick County 1,451 2,065 1,617 1,784
Shenandoah County 226 258 155 25
Warren County 182 112 115 250
Clarke County 64 288 569 505
# of clients served 82 101 102 88
Miles Driven 59,584 67,625 61,766 67,891
Active Volunteers 40 30 31 29