Deborah Keene Named Customer Service Assistant by RTP

PORTLAND, Maine (April 3, 2000) á Deborah L. Keene has been appointed by Regional Transportation Program to serve as a full-time customer service assistant to coordinate referrals for a new welfare-to-work transportation initiative in Cumberland County.

Keene, of Buxton, is helping RTP administer the program, which also includes a host of other local agencies and is funded in part through an "Access to Jobs" grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Begun in October, the program is providing transportation for more than 129 welfare recipients to help them move from welfare to the workforce.

Previously a volunteer driver and van driver with RTP, Keene has three years in transportation and a total of 10 years in public service. She also oversees the operation of the Westbrook Community Food and Resource Center.

Keene is a 1978 graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington and a 1974 graduate of Gorham High School.

Established in 1976, RTP is a United Way agency located at 127 St. John Street in Portland. The agency traditionally provides rides to medical appointments and other necessary services to the elderly, the disabled and clients of social service agencies in Cumberland County.

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