Berkman Family Donation Helps Launch of  

New TransCare Service   

Thousands of people in the Tampa Bay area require the assistance of a wheelchair.  Many use a wheelchair transportation service to attend doctor's appointments so they can stay out of the hospital and maintain good health.
 
Monroe Berkman, a polio survivor who seriously injured his shoulder in a fall last year, needed a wheelchair while he underwent a slow rehabilitation process.  Even with the assistance of his family, Monroe realized that transportation was a challenge. So he and his wife Suzette invested in a specially outfitted van that met his transportation needs.  
 
Monroe and Suzette also happen to be local philanthropists with a long tradition of benevolence in the Tampa Bay area.  After he completed a lengthy recovery process, he and Suzette decided they wanted to donate their van to a non-profit organization they could trust.

It was at this time the Berkmans learned that TransCare Medical Transportation wanted to add wheelchair transportation to the services it provides to the community. The revenues earned by TransCare help fund many Crisis Center  

of Tampa Bay programs including sexual assault services, family stabilization, trauma counseling, & suicide prevention.  After learning more about the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, they made the decision to donate their van so TransCare could have its first vehicle specifically dedicated to wheelchair transportation.
 
Monroe told the Crisis Center, "I wanted the van to be used where it would benefit multiple people, not just a single individual.  I see TransCare ambulances at TGH and all over the city. I figured they must be doing a phenomenal job!"
 
Monroe and Suzette saw a need and decided to make a difference by donating to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. It's community heroes like the Berkmans that allow the Crisis Center to impact thousands of lives each year.  There are multiple ways you can help meet a need at the Crisis Center, including making a DONATION, joining the LEGACY SOCIETY, or becoming a VOLUNTEER.