It was supposed to be a day to honor the North Oakland Transportation Authority’s (NOTA) political and financial supporters.
But Pat Fitchena got the surprise of her life June 11 at the Orion Senior Center when she was presented three tributes honoring her work as NOTA’s executive director since January 2004.
‘I was floored,? said Fitchena, who admitted she ‘bawled uncontrollably? when she was presented honors from NOTA, United States Senate and the State of Michigan.
‘This thing was not for me,? she said. ‘This party was in recognition of our congressmen, state representatives, thanking them for helping us get our funding.?
‘If it wasn’t for them jockeying for funds, we wouldn’t get it,? Fitchena noted.
The plaque presented on behalf of NOTA’s Board of Directors, staff and community best summed up why Fitchena was honored for her ‘untiring and devoted efforts? ? ‘When someone needs a hand, yours is the first to reach out.?
‘She’s the glowing light at the head of all this,? said NOTA Chairman John Sutphin about Fitchena.
Sutphin, who’s also an Addison Township trustee, called Fitchena the ‘dynamo behind all the progress NOTA has made? and credited her with putting the transportation agency ‘on the map.?
‘She single-handedly raised the moral (of NOTA employees) and improved its public image 100 percent,? he said. ‘It’s now considered one of the top notch transportation services in the area.?
‘She’s created respect from the communities we serve,? Sutphin noted.
During her 1?-year tenure as director, Sutphin said Fitchena also ‘brought in over $1 million in grant money,? which has been used to finance NOTA’s daily operations and purchase new vehicles.
Established in 2001, NOTA provides free transportation to senior citizens, mentally and physically disabled individuals, and welfare-to-work program participants living in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships and the villages of Oxford, Leonard and Lake Orion.
With a fleet of eight vans and four minibuses, NOTA transports its many qualified riders to doctor and medical appointments (such as dialysis treatments), local senior centers, grocery stores, hair salons and barber shops, churches, jobs and entertainment events such as concerts in the park.
‘You can’t believe the number of cards we receive from people thanking us for being there for them,? Fitchena said.
NOTA is especially important for ‘people who have lost their driver’s license for one reason or another,? she said.
‘It’s amazing. One day you’re driving and the next day the doctor tells you you can’t drive anymore,? said Fitchena, noting her 40-year-old nephew just had his driver’s license suspended for six months because he recently suffered a seizure. ‘You don’t know from one day to the next.?
From January to December 2004, NOTA vehicles made between 1,500 and 2,500 one-way trips per month (an average of approximately 2,000 trips), driving a total of 242,327 miles for the year.
‘The program is expanding by leaps and bounds,? she said.
Fitchena has been involved in the local transportation game since 1997 when she helped establish and oversee the Oxford Addison Transportation Authority (OATA), the predecessor to NOTA. When OATA expanded to include Orion in 2001 and became NOTA, she served on the new authority’s governing board.
Fitchena resigned from NOTA’s board in January 2004 to become interim director. In July 2004, she was hired as the full-time director.
‘I love what I do,? she said. ‘It’s rewarding. You see a lot of good come out of this.?
Fitchena wished to thank the Rochester Hills-based Crittenton Hospital for its $26,540 donation, which covered the cost of a new van for NOTA, and Community Mental Health’s Training and Treatment Innovations program, which presented NOTA a $28,000 check ‘above and beyond? the $150,000 it already contributed towards the authority’s operations.
She also noted that without SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation), NOTA’s Board of Directors, and the dedicated group of drivers and dispatchers, none of NOTA’s good works would be possible.
‘It’s not just me you know,? she said.
NOTA’s transportation services are available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. (on Thursdays until 9 p.m. for concerts in the park); Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday for church services only from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information call (248) 236-9273.