Veterans across northwest Indiana will now have a comfortable, safe ride when they’re transported between the Adam Benjamin and Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs medical centers.
Kankakee, Ill.-based bus dealer Midwest Transit Equipment donated an MV-1 Mobility vehicle to the Adam Benjamin VA Outpatient clinic during a dedication ceremony Friday in front of the Wicker Park Eternal Flame Veterans Memorial in Highland.
The vehicle was procured through U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky’s office, but the process got started when two of the volunteer drivers for the clinic, Maryann Ramsay and Louis Pabey, started a letter campaign to get donations for new vehicles. Trusty though they may have once been, the vehicles the volunteers drive now, Ford Econoline vans, have seen better days, they said.
“Both the vans have at least 130,000 miles on them, traveling back and forth to Chicago,” Ramsay said. “We start our day at 4:30 a.m. and sometimes don’t get back until 4 p.m., and when we hit weather, it’s pretty bad.”
And they’re not made for veterans with mobility challenges, according to Pabey.
“People often have difficulty climbing into them,” he said.
Ramsay said she wrote her first letter asking for help in November and hasn’t stopped since, but Visclosky’s office was the first to bite.
“Pete and his staff passed the word on to (American General, makers of the MV-1), and with this generous donation, we can deliver enhanced option to the patients who need it the most,” said Trent Ward, assistant chief of voluntary service with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. “Instead of having to pick the patient up, this will let him get into the vehicle on his own. We truly appreciate this gift.”
John Ulrich, executive vice president for American General, said 4 million Americans use ambulatory vehicles.
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“Our veterans are true heroes who deserve respect,” Ulrich said.
North Township trustee Frank Mrvan, who hosted the ceremony, said the volunteer drivers travel 40 miles each way between the two medical centers. He recognized Pabey as well as other drivers, such as Gail Galich.
“We want people to recognize that vets are honored here in northwest Indiana, and especially North Township,” Mrvan said.
Scott Zimmer, with Midwest Transit, said the MV-1 starts at $50,000. Pabey added the VA covers the maintenance costs.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.