Immanuel Lutheran gets bus donation

Residents of Immanuel Lutheran Communities in Kalispell on Thursday got a little more mobile with the donation of a new senior citizen transportation bus.

“Thanks to our volunteers, this new bus will help our residents to be engaged in the community,” said Immanuel Lutheran Chief Executive Officer Jason Cronk. “We’re so humbled to have such a gift for Immanuel Lutheran.”

More than $50,000 donated by the auxiliary gift shop and coffee bar inside the assisted living facility plus a large private donation by Ivan O’Neill paid for the bus. The new Ford F-450 bus features better lights, more seating, more wheelchair and walker storage and a microphone to assist tours of Kalispell.

Six of the 15 seats can easily be converted into wheelchair positions.

Cronk said the bus will be used to transport residents around the Flathead Valley to community luncheons, theaters, dinners and more.

The first outing will be the Christmas lights tour this weekend with Recreation and Wellness Manager Hannah Brown.

“It’s such a gift for the residents,” Brown said. “It will be great to have the extra space for wheelchairs and walkers.”

Immanuel Lutheran’s former bus, which had been in use for 20 years, will be donated to another group. Cronk said Immanuel Lutheran would decide on the beneficiary in the coming weeks.