Sisters Transportation and RideShare (STARS) announced that its year-end ride sponsorship drive has raised a total of $8,100.

The STARS volunteer rideshare program provides Sisters Country residents with free non-emergency rides to medical appointments in Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. STARS “riders” are unable to drive themselves or afford private ride companies, and many rely on the service regularly. Each STARS ride costs an average of $50 and the organization set a goal of raising $5,000 — the equivalent of 100 sponsored rides — during its fundraiser, which kicked off on Giving Tuesday in late November and ran through December of 2024.

Sisters Transportation and RideShare (STARS) announced its ride sponsorship “drive” is launching on Giving Tuesday, December 3, and will run through December 31. STARS is a volunteer ride share program that provides Sisters Country residents with free non-emergency medical rides to Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. STARS “riders” are unable to drive themselves or afford private ride services, and many say, without the nonprofit, they would need to cancel their medical visits.

The October Community Builders meeting was held at the U.S. Forest Service Sisters Ranger District garage. Attendees were welcomed by Lauren DuRocher, acting district ranger while Ian Reid is on a four-month temporary assignment on the Modoc National Forest. He will be back in Sisters in early December.

"Stepping Up" was the theme of the third annual Volunteer Appreciation Event held for Sisters Transportation and Ride Share last Thursday at Sisters Depot. Recognized for their outstanding contributions to STARS over the past year, the STAR Dispatcher of the Year is Debbie Hewett and the STAR Driver of the Year is Rita Weber.

For the last four years, the popular Sisters Ride Share and Transportation (STARS) program has been meeting the needs of residents who aren't able to provide their own transportation to non-emergency medical appointments in Sisters, Bend, and Redmond. In 2018, the need for that service was identified in a community study, and STARS, powered by volunteers, was created as a grassroots initiative to fill the need. Age Friendly Sisters Country (AFSC), a newly formed 501(c)(3) became the fiscal sponsor for STARS, their first Action Team, and has provided support and services from their start. Recently, AFSC redefined their purpose and elected to limit support contracts for Action Teams to five years. During 2024, STARS has been engaged in methodically transitioning to become its own independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.