Eight years ago, when we first came to realize that the transportation systems of rural areas like Cherokee County and others do not work for veterans, we launched the Vehicle Donation Program. Yesterday we gave away our 68th vehicle in the program to a 90% disabled Navy combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. He and his wife had no transportation and could not afford to buy a new car, so they spent hundreds of dollars monthly on Uber to get around to places, including his VA appointments. Now he has his own car donated by another member of the Cherokee County community. I am also including pictures of our 66th vehicle donation to a Navy veteran and single mother of two who had fought back to get her life in order and is now doing great. In all, our program donated 10 vehicles to veterans in 2024 - certainly our busiest year.

The vehicles were not just donated to veterans in and around Cherokee County, but some were donated as far away as Valdosta, is on the GA/FL border. We have a waiting list of screened and vetted veterans just waiting for more vehicles.

I also want to thank those who the support this program, to include Jason Robbins, veteran owner of Patriot Towing, who helps pick up donated vehicles at no cost to the program. We estimate that with our need to retitle these donated vehicles and pay for repairs, we are almost at $50,000 for the program. Watching disabled veterans, veterans with families, or homeless veterans getting needed transportation to get a job thrive after getting a donated vehicle is special to us. One footnote: over 60 of the donated vehicles we have given out are still in use today.