When David's Drive 831 was created in 2010 in memory of David Turner Jr., who died in 2009 at the age of 20 of a suspected heart arrhythmia while working at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, the goal of the charity was to help veterans by providing them with T-shirts, underwear and socks. While working at the VA, David learned that many veterans lacked these basic necessities.
Today, however, the efforts of David's Drive have grown to include an array of community service projects that benefit veterans and their families.
Thanks to David's Drive, eight veterans, accompanied by support staff from the VA, took part in a fishing trip on Sept. 30 on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. "It was awesome. We had beautiful weather," reported David Turner Sr., founder and president of David's Drive. "It started out a little slow, but we ended up catching enough fish for them to have two fish fries up at the VA."
The charity also had a children's playset installed at the VA on Sept. 30 to be used by visiting families. Once the project was approved, David's Drive purchased the playground equipment and arranged for the installation. The new playground features double slides, a climbing feature, and stairs up to an elevated platform.
"We were approached by the VA, and it was a request from the veterans that they wanted visitation times to be of better quality," said Turner. "When the family comes, now (the children) have something to do."
As part of another effort, after receiving about 40 bikes for a discounted fee, David's Drive coordinated a bike giveaway in cooperation with the Coatesville Police Department, including Sgt. Rodger Ollis, on Oct. 2. While most of the bikes were given away at the distribution, the police department has several remaining that it can give out at its discretion.
Each recipient also received a free bike helmet. "We gave one to a veteran who has severe PTSD and anxiety issues and is unable to take public transportation, so the bike was perfect for him," said Turner. "One girl got a little pink bike, and it had a baby car seat on the back for her doll and she was so excited about that. A couple were Spider-Man bikes that (talk) when you ride them."
The charity's current project is rebuilding the charcoal grill at the VA and converting it to propane. "LazyMan Gourmet Grills in New Jersey donated the grill, and the VA has a mason who is retrofitting the grill and hooking it up with gas. The grill has a griddle, so we are hoping we can have a pancake breakfast for the veterans. The hearth is 8 or 10 feet wide. It's a commercial grill designed to cook for over 200 people," Turner said.
David's Drive will also sponsor a variety of activities during Veterans Week at the Coatesville VA in November. This will include a concert by Jellyroll, a Philadelphia-based wedding band that played at the White House at the request of President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush; a luncheon for woman veterans; and a trivia game show where prizes will include dorm-size electronics, such as microwaves.
Turner said these efforts could not take place without the generosity of the community. "Every once in a while, we reach out to someone for assistance with a project and they donate instead. It's wonderful to be a conduit (of donations)," he said. "It's amazing what people are willing to do and even more amazing what veterans were able to do for us."
He pointed out that the motto of the charity is "Helping Veterans Because We Should." "People care about veterans. What keeps us going is the fact that people support what we do for veterans," Turner stated. "It also lets veterans know that the community cares about them."
For more information, readers may email davidsdrive@verizon.net or visit http://www.davidsdrive831.org or http://www.facebook.com/davids.drive.
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