The Deed team sat down with The Catch a Ride Network to talk about their important mission, and how companies can help drive more impact.
For our latest Nonprofit Spotlight, Deed connected with John Doherty, Volunteer Manager, and Valerie Lefler, Founder and Executive Director of The Catch a Ride Network, to learn more about their impactful work and growing partnership with Deed.
The Catch a Ride Network is a national mobility initiative committed to removing transportation barriers and expanding equitable access to essential services. They are solving a critical issue as 1 in 5 Americans struggles to access reliable transportation. Through a coordinated platform that brings together public transit, rideshare, and volunteer driver programs, the organization enables nonprofits, healthcare providers, and local governments to deliver reliable transportation to medical appointments, jobs, education, and everyday needs. By prioritizing underserved populations such as older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, and low income communities, The Catch a Ride Network helps strengthen independence, improve health outcomes, and support economic stability.
In our conversation, John and Valerie highlighted the critical role of transportation equity and shared how The Catch a Ride Network and Deed are working together to drive meaningful, community centered impact.
What motivated the creation of your organization? What is the main mission of your organization today?
“Our organization was founded in March 2018 to address the transportation barriers many communities face. We saw that much of the work in this space was being led by small grassroots organizations doing incredible work but often struggling to navigate complex regulations and administrative hurdles. Our goal was to support and elevate those local efforts while helping remove the red tape that makes this work so challenging.
One of our earliest rides captured why this matters. A retired teacher volunteered to drive a young mother to a doctor’s appointment for her year and a half old child who was not yet speaking. During the trip, she also helped the mom understand the resources and programs available to support her child, showing us how powerful the right connection can be.
Since then, we have focused on building a national approach that strengthens grassroots mobility programs while providing the technology and infrastructure needed to expand their impact.”
What are some of the largest challenges your organization has faced?
“One of our biggest early challenges was that we were trying to do a little bit of everything. We were working across multiple states, deploying technology, and partnering with both large national organizations and small local groups, while still figuring out how to bring those very different partners together in a sustainable way.
Through experience and especially during the pandemic, we realized the real need was connection. Whether in urban or rural communities, success depended on stitching together local resources, which led us to rebrand as The Catch a Ride Network and sharpen our focus.
Today, our strength is serving as the connector. Our platform brings together social service organizations, healthcare providers, and community groups with transportation providers to help communities build sustainable, effective mobility systems.”
What is the best way people can support your organization?
“The best way people can support our organization is by helping us advance our four strategic priorities through 2028: perinatal and infant health, workforce and education, older adults, and veterans. Across each of these areas, we are working to remove transportation barriers so people can access healthcare, jobs, education, groceries, and opportunities to stay engaged in their communities.
Financial support goes directly toward providing rides and building the local infrastructure needed to sustain these services. It also helps us address systemic gaps, such as policy barriers that leave many people, including some veterans and older adults, without reliable transportation options. We are also always looking for volunteer drivers that help with our mission.
Ultimately, every contribution helps us connect more people to the care and opportunities they need while strengthening the systems that make equitable mobility possible.”
How has Deed helped your organization?
“Deed has been a powerful partner in helping us grow engagement within our corporate relationships. Through partners like Ford Philanthropy, we have seen how the Deed platform makes it easy for employees to discover our opportunities and volunteer seamlessly. That kind of visibility and word of mouth has helped our programs continue to expand.
One great example is our Grocery Express Initiative with Ford Philanthropy. Through Deed, Ford employees can sign up to volunteer and help transport residents from affordable housing to get groceries. The impact has been meaningful and consistent for the communities we serve.
Since last year, we have worked with 27 unique volunteers, many of them in Michigan where several of our programs operate. These 27 volunteers have easily signed up to offer rides through the Deed platform and have helped get their community members to crucial appointments, grocery stores and other necessary locations. The platform has made it much easier to connect committed volunteers with real community needs, and we are excited to keep building on that momentum.”
Deed’s conversation with John Doherty and Valerie Lefler highlighted just how critical transportation equity is. The Catch a Ride Network was created to address that gap, connecting people to healthcare, jobs, education, and essential services while supporting local organizations and volunteers who make these rides possible. Through their work, this incredible organization helps ensure that communities can overcome transportation barriers and access the resources they need to thrive.
There are many ways to support this mission, from making a donation to volunteering or sharing the organization’s story. We encourage you to visit The Catch a Ride Network’s profile on Deed to learn more and get involved.