Community's generosity means a lot to DAV
My name is Ross Jackman; I am the commander of the Sandpoint Disabled American Veterans, Audrey Murphy Chapter No. 15. We meet the third Wednesday of every month, 6:30 p.m., at the VFW hall on the corner of Division and Pine Street, Sandpoint and our meetings are open to the public. The DAV is instrumental in joint ventures with other veterans organizations in Sandpoint such as the Vietnam Veterans of America and the VFW Veterans of Foreign Wars, we donate to local food banks, help veterans, and families in need with home repairs, building wheelchair ramps, shoveling snow for the elderly, cutting and delivering firewood, and much, much more.
The support that you, the people of Bonner County, has been through the roof this year. For this we, all 135 members, thank you. You willingness to give at our annual For-Get-Me-Not fund raising at two great locations, Wal-Mart, and Yoke’s raised more than $900 for our van fund.
Speaking of the van fund, chapter members would like to take this time to thank the following for their support kindness of their hearts to raise $14,505, to buy a new 12-passenger DAV van. The money has already been sent to the national DAV office. By the time the letter is in print we should have word that the new van is ready to pick up back east.
The driving force behind the large sum of money that was raised for the new van was the Community Assistance League, Panhandle State Bank, Coldwater Creek, the Rotary Club of Sandpoint, and Lighthouse Inc. There is no way we can thank you all enough for your time decantation and effort you put toward this worthwhile endeavor. Your names will be on the side of the van as sponsors. If I have by chance missed someone, I apologize.
The DAV Van runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with stops in Noxon, Mont., Clark Fork, Hope, Sandpoint, Laclede, and Priest River, and Newport, Diamond Lake, and Chattaroy, Wash. To ride the DAV Van you have to be a veteran, have an appointment, and be able to get into the van by your own power, and be on the manifests. Call 509-434-7019 for an appointment. Save your gas, and your stress, ride with us.
Without our volunteer drivers we would not be able to have this service. I would like to take this time to thank our 10 volunteer drivers, if you see our van go by or please take the time to wave and thank them for their outstanding service they are doing for our community and our veterans. The volunteers are: Robert Able, Noxon; Lewis Beebe, Clark Fork, Gene Groseclose, Kootenai, Keith Nicklish, Sandpoint, Mike Sanito, Sandpoint, Robert Wynhausen, Sandpoint, Tim Trimble, Sandpoint, Raymond Kemp, Sandpoint, Steven Duffey, Cocolalla and Don Carr, Priest River. If you would like to volunteer to be a driver, male or female, please contact Don Carr, Bonner County Veterans Service, 208-255-5291, he has the form to fill out.
If you are interested in donating to the DAV, there is a van fund set up at the Panhandle State Bank in Sandpoint. We also have a donation outlet at the Ponderay Triangle Drive’s Pacific Iron & Metal, bring in you aluminum cans and tell them it’s for the Sandpoint DAV. Every cent we collect goes right back to the veterans of Bonner County.
I would like to take this time to thank the ladies who were at the Kootenai Sub Shop, for the support they put forth on Veterans Day, free Subs, soup, chips, and drinks, all day. They had smiles for every one, and a thank you for your service to all veterans who walked through their doors, and there we a lot of them, (nearly 200), the subs were great. Our hats are off to you, ladies. We also want to thank the Assisted Living people who put on such a great buffet breakfast free to veterans, and to those I did not hear about, we thank you for your support of the veterans. Without them we would not be free.
If you are interested in joining the DAV or donating to the DAV, contact me, Ross D. Jackman, 265-2738, or Russ Fankell, 263-5419.
ROSS JACKMAN
Sandpoint