Senior Vice-President of Signature Bank Chanda Booms (left) presents Huron County Veterans Affair Director Sharon McLeod (center) with a $2,000 donation in front of the old DAV (Disabled American Veterans) van. The donation will help the county pay for their portion of a new van from the DAV. Other contributions have come from the Port Hope Retirees, as well as the Bad Axe VFW, Harbor Beach VFW and Pigeon VFW. Also pictured is assistant veterans counselor Stephen Young (right), a Desert Storm veteran and a current member of the National Guard. Photo by CHRIS OGRYSKI

Veterans Affair Director Sharon McLeod and several others took the trek to Ann Arbor earlier this week to pick up their new van from the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), whose transportation network is based in Wolverine Country. The old van, which was purchased in 1999, had nearly 170,000 miles on it and needed to be replaced.

The cost of the new vehicle to the county is $11,500, which was covered through donations including a $2,000 donation from Signature Bank last week. Other contributors have included the Port Hope Retirees, Bad Axe VFW, Harbor Beach VFW, Pigeon VFW, as well as several private individuals.

Signature Bank's contribution pulled McLeod within $500 of the total needed, which she thinks another local service group will be donating soon.

Senior Vice-President of Signature Bank Chanda Booms explained that they were more than happy to lend a helping hand to area veterans. "To me this was a very important cause especially with this state of affairs right now with our soldiers over seas," Boom said, noting her father and father-in-law both served in Korea.

According to McLeod, the van is dedicated to the county's use, but is not owned by the county, which alleviates them of any liability. All insurance, maintenance and gas is paid for through the DAV in Ann Arbor.

In the past, the vehicle had been shared by Veterans Affair Departments in Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola Counties, but this new vehicle is solely for Huron County, which is why there obligation this year was higher than in the past.

With the new vehicle, the county will be able to continue their practice of using a volunteer network to drive local vets to their appointments at VA hospitals across the state. "A lot of the veterans, especially the older ones, don't like to drive down to the cities any more," McLeod said.

She explained that veterans call the office when they get an appointment, she logs in the date and time and then finds a volunteer driver to take them.

Currently the county has three such drivers, but as McLeod put it, "We could use a whole lot more."

In order to become a driver, interested parties must fill out an application and then take a physical at an Ann Arbor hospital that will insure they are physically fit to drive. "An individual could have an illness like say diabetes (and still drive) as long as they have it under control," she said.

Anyone interested in being a driver can contact McLeod in person at the Veterans Affair office for more information or by calling (989) 269-8911.