Wheels Harbison Area Transit, a non-profit founded in 1989, was created to serve HUD housing residents by providing free transportation to elderly and disabled individuals in the Greater Harbison Area. The service helps residents travel to medical and dental appointments, pharmacies, grocery and discount stores, and other essential destinations.
In recent years, Wheels Harbison board members have been actively seeking new financial support and working to develop a stronger online presence. Their search led them to Kappa Theta Pi (KTP), a student organization founded earlier this year to provide technical support to local non-profits. The group was created by Owen Coulam, a third-year computer science and mathematics student who now serves as its first president.
“I wanted to create a win-win model for students and nonprofits,” Coulam said. “Students gain valuable work experience with a real, impactful client, and nonprofits receive technical assistance for services—like website design—that for-profit agencies would normally quote for thousands of dollars.”
KTP began connecting with local non-profits and offering assistance with website development and digital outreach. Students seeking membership in the organization spent many hours learning the basics of web design and the technical skills needed to support their clients.
John Vitters, chairman of Wheels, noted that traditional funding sources that once supported transportation for the elderly and disabled in the Harbison area have dwindled. “We want to keep going, but we need money to keep the buses running. Maintenance, repairs, and insurance are expensive,” he said. Wheels provides scheduled transportation to residents of Wood Edge, Lakeside, and AHEPA, relying on volunteer drivers to focus on those communities. “It is a unique service that fills a real need, since many don’t have relatives who can take them to appointments or shopping, and others cannot access the Comet bus or afford private transportation.”
During the fall semester, student project managers Luke Jannazzo and Katie Jones met with Wheels representatives to learn about the organization’s mission and begin developing what is now the group’s official website. The project team also included four members: Galen Miller, Alexa Adams, William Raiford, and Jazmine Baker. By November, Wheels representatives met with their USC Kappa Theta Pi team to finalize the new site.
“The collaboration with the students from KTP has been outstanding, and as a result we have a website where people can volunteer and donate to our mission,” said Virginia DeThy, secretary of Wheels. The new website also allows visitors to request volunteers, make donations, view a map of the transportation route for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and access a typical monthly schedule.
On November 20, Kappa Theta Pi hosted a dinner and symposium where students showcased their newly developed skills and presented their final projects to an audience of nonprofit clients and university administrators. Although the initial website project is complete, KTP has committed to continuing to monitor and support the site moving forward.
The new Wheels Harbison website can be viewed at wheelsharbison.org.