news article
Bishop Webb dedicates DAV van
November 10, 2015 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On Nov. 7, Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Mark J. Webb dedicated a Ford Flex van to the Syracuse Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter during the eighth annual CNY Veterans Day Parade & Expo at the Center of Progress Building at the New York State Fairground in Syracuse. The parade and expo’s purpose was "Thanking Our Veterans" of every generation and conflict, and what better way to thank the veterans than with the gift of a new seven-passenger van, which will transport veterans to and from their medical appointments. The Hendricks Chapel Choir – directed by Syracuse University Professor Jose Calvar – performed “The Star Spangled Banner” and “America the Beautiful” before Bishop Webb’s dedication.
United Methodist churches in the Crossroads District along with the United Methodist Men (UMM) donated funds for the purchase of a Ford Flex. This donation was matched by DAV National. The idea for this fundraiser started when UNYUMM Director of Communications Scott Stumpf brought the idea to Steve Ranous, president of the Crossroads District UMM in fall 2012. It was then presented to former Crossroads District Superintendent the Rev. Darryl Barrow, who suggested asking Crossroads District churches to partake in the endeavor.
“This was a wonderful Christian mission carried out by the churches of the Crossroads District and the United Methodist Men,” wrote UNYUMM Conference President Mark Jones in the UNYUMM September-October 2015 letter from the president.
The van arrived at the DAV Syracuse Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center location on Aug. 17, when it received its United Methodist cross and flame decal.
In spring 1987, Congress eliminated all funding for the Veteran’s Beneficiary Program, which meant the federal government would no longer reimburse veterans for transportation costs to VA medical facilities. With so many disabled veterans living on small fixed incomes, travel costs gave way to other needs. In response to the budget cuts, the DAV organized volunteer drivers and privately funded vehicles to transport veterans in communities across the United States. Today, this transportation network carries more than half a million veterans to and from their appointments at VA medical facilities at no cost.
In Central New York, 300 volunteers based out of the Syracuse VA Medical Center and its community-based outpatient clinics operate a fleet of 34 vehicles that transport veterans within 13,451 square miles. Donations like the Ford Flex make it possible for the volunteers to continue their work of transporting veterans to and from medical appointments.