February 21, 2024
Page 5
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024
Ride TriMet for a Month, for Less
Than the Cost of a Tank of Gas
See If You
Qualify and
Start Saving
Today!
By Tia York
Are you living on a low in-
come? Serving in the U.S. military
or a veteran in good standing? Are
you 65 or older, on Medicare or
experiencing a disability? If you
answered yes to any of these ques-
tions, you could be riding TriMet
for less — much less. That’s be-
cause you qualify for our Honored
Citizen reduced fare. For years,
we’ve made this cost-saving ben-
efit available to adults over 65,
people on Medicare and those
experiencing disabilities. Now
we’re bringing even more people
on board, with new options to help
you sign up and save. Since 2018,
we’ve invited people with low in-
comes to qualify to ride for less.
Late last year, we expanded this
benefit to another group of people:
those with military service.
We’ve also made it easier to
sign up for reduced fare, with a
quick and easy process that you
can complete in the privacy of
your home. We believe everyone
has a right to access transporta-
tion to connect with opportunities
like work, school, healthcare and
services. Why not give yourself a
break and save big on your trans-
portation costs? With TriMet’s
Honored Citizen reduced fare,
you can ride our buses and trains
as much as you want, at a fraction
of the cost. With Honored Citizen
fare, 2 ½ Hour tickets are $1.40
and Day Passes are $2.80. That’s
half the cost of Adult fare, a signif-
icant savings, but you’ll save even
more with Hop Fastpass.
With Hop, you will never pay
more than $28 per month for un-
limited access to our transit ser-
vices. That’s 72% less than Adult
fare, or $72 off the cost of an
Adult Month Pass, which is cur-
rently limited to $100 per month.
Here’s another way of looking
at it: With Honored Citizen fare
Riders inside a Trimet bus. Photo courtesy of trimet.com
and Hop, you can ride TriMet
anywhere in our service area for
an entire month, for less than
the cost of a single tank of gas.
Since 2018, more than 60,000
people have signed up to receive
TriMet’s reduced fare for riders
who qualify based on income.
You also qualify, if you earn less
than 200% of the federal poverty
rate. For an individual in 2024,
that’s more than $30,000 per
year. You are also eligible for re-
duced fare if you participate in a
program such as Oregon Health
Plan (OHP) or Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP). Find a complete list of
qualifying programs at trimet.
org/income.
While you’re there, go ahead
and complete the short, online ap-
plication for a reduced fare Hop
card based on your income. Near
the end of the application, you will
see easy-to-follow guidelines for
submitting a photo for your per-
sonalized Honored Citizen Hop
card. TriMet will process the ap-
plication and put your card in the
mail. As soon as you have your
card and load fare to your Hop ac-
count, you can start tapping, rid-
ing and saving.
If you’re over the age of 65 or
on Medicare, you automatically
qualify for Honored Citizen fare.
Older adults and Medicare re-
cipients should have their I.D. or
Medicare card with them when
they ride. People who are expe-
riencing a verifiable mental or
physical disability may also use
TriMet’s Honored Citizen reduced
fare. However, you must apply for
and receive a personalized photo
I.D. Hop card. Learn more about
the process at trimet.org/disability.
Find additional details about our
fares and our Hop Fastpass electron-
ic fare system at trimet.org/fares.
OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education Back Again
Nominate a Local
Educator and
Recognize Inspiring
Educators
OnPoint Community Credit Union is
calling for the public’s help to honor the re-
gion’s most inspiring and innovative teach-
ers. Starting today, anyone can nominate a
local educator for the 2024 OnPoint Prize
for Excellence in Education. The OnPoint
Prize will award $193,000 to the winning
educators and schools in May of this year.
Four winning educators will have their
mortgage or rent paid by OnPoint for one
year. Four runners-up will each receive a
$5,000 cash prize. The OnPoint Prize also
includes the Community Builder award for
innovative school projects. Four schools
will receive $2,000, and a fifth school se-
lected by community votes will receive
$5,000. A new category added in 2023 is
the Gold Star award—a fourth category to
honor pre-kindergarten teachers, counsel-
ors, librarians and school administrators.
“Educators do so much more than teach
lessons – they shape the future leaders of
our communities,” said Rob Stuart, Presi-
dent and Chief Executive Officer, OnPoint
Community Credit Union. “As we open
nominations for this year’s OnPoint Prize,
we invite the public to join us in honoring
those educators who go above and beyond
to inspire, create and foster inclusivity.”
2023 OnPoint Prize for Excellence in Education Educator of the Year winners.
From left to right: Caryn Anderson, K-5 Educator of the Year winner; Lucas Dix, 6-8
Educator of the Year winner; Rob Stuart, President & CEO, OnPoint Community
Credit Union; Willie Williams, 9-12 Educator of the Year winner; Samuel Platt, Gold
Star Educator of the Year winner.
Anyone can nominate an outstanding
educator or apply for a Community Build-
er award starting today at www.onpoint-
prize.com. The nomination period closes
at 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, April 8.
OnPoint will announce the Educator of the
Year finalists and Community Builder win-
ners on May 8.
Since 2010, the OnPoint Prize has
awarded more than $843,000 in prizes
to 326 local educators and schools. This
year’s awards include,Educators of the
Year: Four educators will have their mort-
gage or rent paid for one year and receive
a $2,500 donation to their schools for re-
sources and supplies.
Runners-up: Four educators, one from
each of the categories, will receive a $5,000
cash award and a $1,500 donation to each
of their schools for resources and supplies.
Community Builder Awards: One school,
selected by community votes, will receive
$5,000 for a project that will meaningfully
improve that school or community. Four
additional schools will each receive $2,000
for special projects.
In 2023, OnPoint awarded five Com-
munity Builder grants to schools to fund
innovative projects that inspire students,
foster community, demonstrate a com-
mitment to diversity, equity and inclu-
sion and reach a broad segment of the
school community.
The $5,000 grand prize, selected by
community votes, went to Gaffney Lane
Elementary School in Oregon City, a Title
1 school that was still working to transi-
tion back from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the funding, the school pur-
chased furniture that fosters a collaborative
learning environment, allowing the stu-
dents to stand and work, move their desks
into groups, sit with a partner or alone on
more updated furniture. The school also
utilized the funds to support students who
require additional or alternative supplies to
be successful, so they don’t feel so differ-
ent from their classmates.
Information about the OnPoint Prize for
Excellence in Education and how to sub-
mit a nomination is now available at www.
onpointprize.com. Anyone can nominate
an educator, and educators may also nomi-
nate themselves. Applicants must be a full-
time or job-share classroom teacher, coun-
selor, school administrator, or librarian for
grades Pre-K-12 in an accredited public,
private or charter school, located within
any county that OnPoint serves. OnPoint
also accepts applications for the Commu-
nity Builder awards within those same
counties. For information about the cam-
paign, additional qualifications and contest
rules, please visit www.onpointprize.com.