Ford Media Center

Ford Expands Mobility Options for Disabled Military Veterans with Vehicle Donations Across the U.S.

  • Ford Motor Company adds eight more vehicles to the DAV Transportation Network, making a total of 207 vehicles contributed to the DAV fleet over the past 20 years
  • Ford also continues to invest in DAV scholarships and Winter Sports Clinic, plus initiatives that help veterans and their families transition to new careers
  • Ford and DAV have a 94 year relationship dating back to the time Henry Ford provided Model T Fords as transportation for DAV members 

ATLANTA, Aug 1, 2016 – Ford Motor Company, which helps more than 700,000 disabled American military veterans access health care each year, is donating eight Ford Flex utility vehicles to the DAV, providing even more mobility support for disabled military veterans.

The new vehicles will become part of the DAV Transportation Network that enlists volunteer drivers to take ill and disabled veterans to VA medical centers across the country. They will be deployed to DAV locations in Baltimore, Maryland; Bay Pines, Florida; Danville, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Manchester, New Hampshire; Syracuse, New York; Chattanooga, Tennessee and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Last year, Ford vehicles assisted 716,000 military veterans to reach their medical appointments. Over the past 20 years, Ford has donated 207 vehicles to the DAV fleet, which was formed in 1987 and has helped more than 17.3 million veterans reach VA health care facilities for appointments and treatment.

“These heroic men and women are a powerful inspiration for Americans of all ages,” said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services. “We salute their courage and perseverance, and we’re proud to help them overcome mobility challenges with vehicles and rides that could improve the quality of their lives.”

“We are extremely proud and grateful of our long partnership with Ford Motor Company,” said Moses A. McIntosh Jr, national commander, DAV. “These vehicles will be used by volunteers nationwide to ensure our wounded heroes get to and from medical appointments. Without this donation and program, many of these veterans would go without the medical care they earned.”

Ford Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, is also continuing its support of the DAV’s Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship. The program provides grants to young men and women who have generously volunteered their time and provided distinguished service to help disabled veterans in their communities. With Ford Fund’s help, DAV has awarded nearly $1.2 million in scholarships to these exceptional young leaders.  

Ford’s support for veterans has evolved over the decades since 1919 when Henry Ford began hiring disabled veterans returning from World War I. In 1922, Ford organized a cross-country caravan of 50 Model Ts to take disabled veterans to the DAV national convention.

Ford sponsors the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic - often called “Miracles on a Mountainside” - a rehabilitation program held annually in the mountains of Colorado that helps improve the physical and mental well-being of severely injured veterans, as they meet challenges such as skiing, skating and rock wall climbing. Ford also supports military families with programs such as Nurse Assistant Training through the American Red Cross, providing Ford Blue Oval Scholarships to military members and their spouses to prepare them for careers in healthcare. 

Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center also supports the DAV with activities such as “Trading One Uniform for Another,” a nationwide program that will award scholarships to U.S. military veterans toward certification in automotive maintenance and repair. Scholarship recipients will be announced at this year’s Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.

Since 1974, Ford and Ford Fund have provided nearly $9.8 million to veterans’ organizations.

Ford today employs more than 6,000 veterans plus hundreds of active military personnel, reservists and guardsmen.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.  The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for customers and deepen their loyalty.  Ford develops and delivers innovative, must-have Ford trucks, sport utility vehicles, commercial vans and cars and Lincoln luxury vehicles, along with connected services.  The company does that through three customer-centered business segments:  Ford Blue, engineering iconic gas-powered and hybrid vehicles; Ford Model e, inventing breakthrough EVs along with embedded software that defines exceptional digital experiences for all customers; and Ford Pro, helping commercial customers transform and expand their businesses with vehicles and services tailored to their needs.  Additionally, Ford provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  Ford employs about 177,000 people worldwide.  More information about the company and its products and services is available at corporate.ford.com.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community and global partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 65 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. Ford Driving Skills for Life is free, interactive, hands-on safety training focused on skill development and driving techniques, while addressing inexperience, distractions and impaired driving.  Innovation in education is encouraged through Ford Blue Oval Scholars, Ford Driving Dreams, Ford Next Generation Learning and other innovative programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. The Ford Volunteer Corps enlists more than 30,000 Ford employees and retirees each year to work on local projects that strengthen their communities and improve people’s lives in more than 40 countries around the world. For more information, visit http://community.ford.com.

About DAV

DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: fulfilling our promises to the men and women who served. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them; fighting for the interests of America’s injured heroes on Capitol Hill; providing employment resources to veterans and their families and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a non-profit organization with 1.3 million members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at www.dav.org.

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