LAS VEGAS--August 5, 2012: Ford Motor Company will donate $200,000 to purchase eight new vehicles for the DAV Transportation Network and $45,000 to DAV's youth volunteer scholarship program at DAV's 91st National Convention at the Bally's Hotel in Las Vegas.
“The DAV Transportation Network provides much-needed services to thousands of veterans. Our Transportation Network volunteer drivers log millions of miles on the road each year taking ill and injured veterans to VA medical center appointments and returning them home”
"For 90 years, Ford has helped DAV build better lives for America's injured or ill veterans and their families," said DAV National Commander Donald L. Samuels.
Volunteer drivers use the vehicles to take sick and disabled veterans to VA medical centers. Since 1996, Ford has donated more than $3.4 million for the purchase of 164 vans for the DAV Transportation Network.
"Ford is proud of our partnership with DAV which spans 90 years," said Jim Vella, President, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. "We are pleased to lend our support so that these deserving veterans can get the transportation they need to receive critical services."
Through the history of the partnership with Ford, DAV has purchased 2,469 vehicles, worth nearly $53 million, that have been donated to the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers nationwide since this transportation program began in 1987.
"The DAV Transportation Network provides much-needed services to thousands of veterans. Our Transportation Network volunteer drivers log millions of miles on the road each year taking ill and injured veterans to VA medical center appointments and returning them home," said the DAV's National Director of Voluntary Services Ron Minter.
The donation of $45,000 helps DAV provide eight scholarships to young men and women who have generously volunteered their time and compassion to injured veterans in their community. In honor of the 90th anniversary of Ford's partnership with DAV, Ford Motor Company has increased its contribution to the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program to total $90,000 over two years.
DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: fulfilling our promises to the men and women who served. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America's injured heroes on Capitol Hill; and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a non-profit organization with 1.2 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U. S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at DAV.
