Power of Ability Night with the Hartford Yard Goats

The Importance of Community

Community engagement has always been important to The Rideshare Company. With our organization starting out as a resource center and ridematch system in the early 1980s, we have always had close ties to our local community and the people we work with and help.

Our work has evolved so much over the last four decades, with a large emphasis placed on providing lift-equipped and wheelchair accessible vehicles to organizations that work with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) through our easy fleet program.

A Pivotal Partnership

In 2007, we began a partnership that would prove to be pivotal for our company when it comes to our relationship with our partners. Rideshare joined with the New Britain Rock Cats minor league baseball team to host a game that would come to be known as Power of Ability (POA) Night. As a way to show our gratitude, we would provide our customers with free tickets to give to their clients, creating an event that would bring people together for a night of baseball and fun.

This partnership went on for years to come. Our organizations both grew and changed through 2010s, and in 2016, the Rock Cats became the Hartford Yard Goats. This big move for the team allowed our partnership to expand, and our Power of Ability Night games only got even better.

The Full Ballpark Experience

Throughout the years with many successful POA Night events, it came to our attention that many of our attendees had limited financial means, these games being some of the only nights they were able to attend for entertainment. Caregivers through DDS organizations that accompanied attendees of all abilities would reach into their own pockets to pay for meals and snacks for their clients.

So, in 2018 we began fundraising to take the burden completely off the caregivers at the game, so everyone could get the full ballpark experience. We were able to provide free meals in addition to free tickets to our customers and their clients.

Putting POA Night on Hold

In the early spring of 2020, the world was shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies with long histories and important missions were closing their doors to protect their staff and clients, Rideshare included. With our company’s experience in nationwide service, going fully remote was not a big challenge for us. We have been accustomed to Zoom calls and virtual meetings for years.

However, one change that took some getting used to was saying goodbye to community events—like Power of Ability Night.

Back in the Ballpark

2023 has brought great opportunities for Rideshare, including the return of Power of Ability Night at Dunkin' Park! We are thrilled to have been able to host our favorite night of the year again on Wednesday, June 21st!

With our friends and clients looking forward to this event each year, we successfully gave away every single ticket we received from our generous friends on the Hartford Yard Goats team. Please be sure to stay tuned on our social media pages to see us thank our incredible event sponsors as well as our posts on Power of Ability Night!

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and Tik Tok to stay in the loop!

A big thank you to our 2023 POA Night sponsors: