New York State is home to nearly 900,000 veterans. They are our neighbors, our family, and our friends. There are many organizations that proudly assist our veterans as a way to thank them for their service and show gratitude for their many sacrifices. One such agency is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Transportation Network. This organization provides transportation to veterans who cannot drive themselves to their VA medical appointments.

The DAV Transportation Network encompasses 14 Central New York counties that span from Ogdensburg to Binghamton. In total, there are 300 volunteers who work together to see that veterans receive the medical care and other benefits they earned for defending our great country.

The vans run all day, five days a week. Volunteers sometimes pick passengers up before 7 a.m. to make an early morning appointment. In 2014, drivers logged some 745,000 miles with 34 vans. Some drivers volunteer one or two days a month while others drive more than once a week. Volunteers are screened and must pass a background check. While drivers wait at the Syracuse VA, they are provided a meal and a place to rest in a lounge.

DAV Transportation Network is in need of volunteers to cover routes throughout the area and to establish a pool of substitute drivers for those who travel south during the cold months, periodic illness, emergency or personal issues. They also need help raising money for more vehicles to replace an aging fleet to improve coverage across the area. To learn more or to volunteer, call Bill Gleason, regional DAV Driver Recruitment Officer at 315-425-4343. Bill, a veteran himself, volunteers many hours a week to seeing that the DAV Transportation Network is manned and operational. It’s with volunteers like Bill and many others that make this network possible and continue its proud 30-year tradition of serving veterans.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this or any other state issue, please contact me. My office can be reached by mail at 200 North Second Street, Fulton, New York 13069, by e-mail at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling (315) 598-5185. You can also find me, Assemblyman Barclay, on Facebook.