March 28, 2024

Fund Raiser For A Rehoboth Veteran’s Van Raises $2,030.00

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Rehoboth resident Shawn Martin, presenting a check for $2,030.00 to the Rehoboth Veterans Service Officer of Rehoboth Jake Kramer.

Shawn Martin, resident of Rehoboth has been sponsoring fund raisers for a number of years and around the Labor Day holiday and he enjoys running a fund raiser for our Veterans. Last September, Shawn conducted one for the Disable American Veterans organization in our area. This year, Shawn Martin called the Veterans Service Officer of Rehoboth, Jake Kramer and ask his opinion on what Veterans fund raiser he would like to have this year. Jake inform Shawn that he was in the early stages of creating a fund raiser himself for the town of Rehoboth for replacing the donated Rehoboth Veterans Van due to major mechanical issues with the electric hydraulic handicap ramp and its side door.

Reasons due to the side door needing to be duct taped to prevent the electric hydraulic ramp and it’s door from opening while in transit. The Veteran drivers have had to pull off the interstate onto the shoulder to reclose the doors with Veterans inside the van. Just this month, on October 17th, a Veterans driver took a Veteran to the Providence, Rhode Island VA hospital and thank GOD, they were on hospital grounds when the door opened a good foot to a foot and a half. The driver tried over and over again to get the door closed and when he finally got the door to closed, he re-taped the outside door handle.

Mechanics at the Specialty shop in Seekonk stated they can’t apply anymore band-aids to the town van, even our town mechanic can only do so much for the electric hydraulic ramp assembly. The wheel track rails are rusting way, so as the van hits bumps on the road, the rust falls onto the tracks where small plastic wheels need to glide through in order to open upward and outward.

The fund raiser was held on September 10th, 2017 at the Portuguese American Hall, 65 Prairie Avenue, Attleboro, with John Skurchak providing and serving a delicious five-course meal. To cap off the night, we had wonderful entertainment with a 9-piece band called the Family Tree who performed from 4:30pm to 10:00pm with Shawn Martin, Doug Kelly of D-R HS, Army Warrant Officer Steven Martins of the Army Marching Band based out of Hanscom Air Force Base.

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