Organization seeks drivers to aid veterans

Disabled American Veterans Chapter 5 needs volunteer drivers to transport veterans to Little Rock for medical services.

Chapter 5, which is based out of Hot Springs and serves Garland County and most of Hot Spring, Clark and Montgomery counties, was responsible for transporting 2,500 local veterans to Little Rock and North Little Rock veterans medical facilities with its van in 2016. The chapter runs its five-day-a-week transportation service using transport network volunteers, who are assigned to drive the van.

With only five volunteer drivers, the DAV chapter is currently at half of its desired volunteer capacity, service officer Mike Sharp said.

"They're having to drive every day of the week," Sharp said. "Some of them can't do that for medical restrictions, and so we have a couple of people who drive two or more days a week sometimes."

The need for more drivers stems from a spike in disabled veterans from the Baby Boomer generation who have been added to the aging World War II and Korean War veterans, a DAV news release said. Sharp said the need for medical assistance comes with any aging person, but veterans have unique circumstances surrounding this need.

"The wear and tear on the body and the particular jobs we had in the military takes a toll," he said.

Sharp said the transport drivers are in charge of taking the veterans to John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock and Fort Logan Roots Hospital in North Little Rock. He said a day's work involves driving the van full of veterans to the hospitals and assisting the hospitals by driving a golf cart for on-site transportation for the veterans before driving them back at 7:30 p.m.

Sharp said the volunteers are scheduled throughout the course of a workweek, and are more easily scheduled if their numbers are higher.

"Sometimes, if we have enough drivers, you'll only drive once every two weeks, because that's all you can do," he said. "Anything is appreciated."

Transport volunteers are required to have a valid Arkansas driver's license and pass a basic physical exam.

Chapter 5 of the DAV "provides a very important service to veterans at no cost to them, but we can't keep up with the demand if we don't have people who are willing and able to support it," Irving Greenberg, transportation volunteer and driver coordinator for the chapter, said.

"We need people to recognize the sacrifices of our heroes and are willing to make a commitment to ensure the promises our country made to veterans are kept," Irving said.

Sharp said Chapter 5 "would deeply appreciate anyone" who is willing to volunteer.

Anyone interested in becoming a DAV Transport Network volunteer is asked to call Greenberg at 501-538-8432.

Local on 11/18/2017

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