Free wheeling: Ministry in Motion rolls out red carpet for seniors

There may not be such a thing as a free lunch, but a new charitable organization is making sure that Alberta seniors get a free ride. Ministry in Motion plans to use a recently purchased, brand-new, fully loaded MCI® J4500 to take area seniors on sightseeing trips — at absolutely no cost to them.

The project is the brainchild of Byron Dyck and his father, Henry "Hank" Dyck, who also run Superior Pressure Vessels Inc. in Calgary. "We want to provide a service to the elderly people in our city and province who are confined in homes or lodges," says Byron Dyck. "We want to give them a means to get out."

Though Ministry in Motion is not affiliated with any church and is funded largely by private donors, it takes its name and inspiration from the religious concept of tending to those in need. It also took inspiration from the Tim Horton Children's Foundation, which has a fleet of coaches and serves the other end of the age spectrum.

It was important to Ministry in Motion to get a nice coach for seniors to ride. To that end, the organization approached MCI sales manager Yves Vermette with the goal of getting a model that was reliable, beautiful and loaded with an impressive array of passenger-pleasing features. The J4500 was an obvious choice. Dyck was impressed with the coach's kneeling technology and its easy-to-maneuver spiral staircase — plus it had all the beauty, bells and whistles he was looking for.

"We want the seniors to look at it, and say, 'Wow, we get to ride on that!'" says Dyck, who also specified a deluxe video system, top-of-the-line paint job and shiny aluminum wheels. "We don't want them to feel like they're riding on a school bus."

The shiny new coach made its maiden Ministry in Motion voyage September 22, and the passenger roster is full. Byron Dyck, who is also a licensed driver, says the first trip will be from Calgary to Banff along the Bow Valley Parkway, affording seniors some of the world's best mountain scenery.

Ministry in Motion hopes to eventually expand, adding more coaches as its audience grows and funds become available. "We're still getting our feet wet," says Dyck. "But most people here can't wait for it to happen."

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