Our Story
Why Start a Ride Service?
I’ve been asked several times, why I started this business. For me, it’s personal.
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We have been blessed with a tight knit family and we’re always there for one another. We had such amazing parents who passed along their work ethic and love of each other to our family. My sister has ongoing health issues her entire life and as a result has not always been able to drive. In more recent years, due to her health she has lost her driving independence and had depended on her spouse, family and friends. Due to a recent illness of her husband, he went through a period where he was no longer able to drive, thus losing his driving independence as well. This affected their ability to go places that one takes for granted like going out to eat, shopping, attending church and traveling.
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In addition to their lifestyle change, they had an increased need to go to medical appointments. The majority of their appointments are in Nashville (50 miles round trip and about 1 hour in traffic each way). It hasn’t always been easy coordinating schedules but we made it happen with the help of family and close friends, to whom we are truly grateful. For those few scheduling conflicts, we found it very hard to find a company who will drive to local doctor appointments and especially to Nashville. We searched various options and it seems that the surrounding areas of Nashville provide this service, but not the Lebanon area. I believe, God has led us to offer a service to help you regain your independence by providing a special ride service to help you keep or regain your independence.
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Our mission at Cardinal Ride Service is to make a living while making a difference.
Our parents
Why name the company Cardinal Ride Service?
I’ve also been asked how I came up with the name Cardinal Ride Service.
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As I said earlier, we were blessed with such amazing parents who have always been there to love and support us. In 2016, my Daddy suddenly passed away. The morning of his funeral, there was a male cardinal sitting in the kitchen window that had never been there before. It stayed in the window looking inside intently for over an hour as if he was watching over us. My momma passed away just 4 months later. The symbology of a cardinal is a representative of a loved one who has passed. When you see one, it means they are visiting you. They usually show up when you most need them or miss them.
After recognizing that other families need a bit of help with transportation as we did and reflecting on whether I should begin this company, each time I would look out the window I would see a male and female cardinal fly by. I chose to believe my parents were visiting and guiding me. I hope to honor them in this small way and remember them often.