“Life is a journey, and in America, much of it is spent in a car,” says Katherine Freund, transportation activist and founder of ITNAmerica. “The irony is that few individuals plan for the day when they must turn over the keys. In a society where mobility equates to freedom and independence, this transition can be devastating for the more than 600,000 people over age 70 who stop driving each year. But it doesn’t have to be.”
With our country’s population of older adults (65+) expected to double to potentially 25 percent by 2029, states, cities, academic institutions, and foundations are starting to take a critical look at the resources that will be necessary to serve this explosion of older adults. In 2008, Freund was named “One of 12 People who are Changing Your Retirement” by the Wall Street Journal. She will be presenting on March 9th at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Center on Aging and Community. On March 19th she will be the featured guest of the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute. In both venues she will discuss social enterprise and her experience in developing an innovative, sustainable community solution to senior mobility.
ITNAmerica’s nonprofit model supports and empowers individuals as they transition through every stage of their lives and enables continued connections to the people and activities that bring them meaning.
For additional information about ITNAmerica and answers to your questions about starting an ITNAmerica affiliate in your community, go to www.itnamerica.org.