STARS gaining independent non-profit status

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. They contracted for a Sustainability Study with Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) to identify the best option for moving forward. Based on the study, facilitated team meetings, and exploring other fiscal sponsorships or integration into a government agency, the best option was determined to be transitioning into an independent non-profit.

Sisters location as a rural community means round-trip medical rides for care in Bend and Redmond range between 50 and 100 miles. Due to the age of most STARS passengers and their challenges with mobility, vision, and memory, public transit is not an option. Commercial transportation is either not easily accessible or affordable.

Since beginning, STARS volunteers have provided over 1,000 free round-trip rides and driven over 50,000 miles. From June 2023-June 2024, they provided 588 rides for 25,000 miles, a 33 percent increase over the same period the year before.

As part of determining the best way to transition, Executive Director Rennie Morrell applied for and STARS was accepted to participate in a Capstone Project conducted by graduate students at Oregon Health Sciences University as their culminating experience to earn their Masters degree. The students select the projects they want to work on and there were five professionals who selected the STARS project.

To help STARS in its transition to a sustainable, independent 501(c)(3) organization by 2025, the Capstone Project carried out research and reviewed literature from April 1 through June 1, 2024, to compile as much information as possible to inform the transition. A comparative analysis was conducted with similar organizations in Maine, Colorado, and Illinois including in-person interviews with their executive directors. They focused on five key areas – hiring staff, creating a need-based statement, exploring funding sources, identifying available grants, and investigating best practices.

At the end of the study, an online presentation was made by the students to STARS board and volunteers. In addition, an extensive written report was provided with recommendations to facilitate a successful transition for STARS. The report said, "To ensure sustainability, STARS must establish structure, governance, and staffing alongside exploring business partnerships and securing stable funding avenues." STARS also received a computer program that allows them to track their grant applications. All these services were provided free of charge.

The five students were very complimentary of STARS and thought the project had been a good experience. They said, " Sustaining STARS will ensure the residents of Sisters, Oregon, continue to have crucial non-emergency medical transportation. Our objective is to offer recommendations to facilitate this successful transition."

The current board members of STARS are: Rennie Morrell, volunteer executive director; Christy Corzine, board chair; Gayle Sawyer, secretary; Susan Utterback, treasurer; Tom Gonsiewski, director at large/operations committee chair; and John Finley, director at large/technology committee chair.

Donations can be sent to STARS, PO Box 3500 PMB 422, Sisters, OR 97759. To schedule rides, call 541-904-5545 on Tuesday or Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at least 48 hours before the ride is needed. Spanish-speaking Sisters residents can leave a voicemail requesting transportation by leaving a voicemail on Monday or Wednesday at the above number. If interested in volunteering as a driver or a dispatcher, see starsride.org.