Nanda Edgerton

I founded Rideshare on a Mission in 2020 after discovering a critical need in my community. In 2017, when Uber first became available in Clemson, South Carolina, I started driving because I was tired of working for other people and I loved it because I'm a people person. I met students from the Clemson Life Program, people with disabilities including Down syndrome and those on the spectrum who were learning to be independent and hold jobs. These young adults were having terrible experiences with Uber drivers who would cancel their rides or be very mean to them when they realized they had disabilities. A property manager I used to drive for reservations referred their parents to me, and after meeting with a group of these parents, I started driving these kids back and forth to work every day. My rescue dog Jake comes along and serves as an emotional service animal for them. Beyond transportation, Rideshare on a Mission puts together care packages for the homeless population and does well checks on elderly residents who don't have family living locally. We make calls every few days, deliver pharmacy items and groceries to them. Many of my fellow residents look to me as a community leader to help them with local stuff, and I participate actively in the Nextdoor app for our neighborhood. I'm a student of life, and I believe that unless we can do nonprofit work right, we shouldn't even do it.