AMVETS is seeking volunteer drivers to transport Valley Veterans to Loma Linda VA

American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 66 in Palm Springs is seeking volunteer drivers to transport Coachella veterans from Cathedral City and Palm Springs to the Loma Linda VA Hospital and then return to the desert.

The volunteers will drive a nine-passenger van known as the “AMVETS Express.”

The driver will work one day per week. The van departs Cathedral City about 6:30 a.m. and returns to the desert in the afternoon of the same day.  The van operates Monday through Friday.

Applicants for the position of driver do not have to be veterans. Applicants are required to study a training manual and pass a complete physical exam. The drivers cannot be over age 70. The drivers are volunteers and are not paid a salary.

The AMVETS Express has operated since 2004 and it is the only free van transportation from the desert to the VA Hospital.  Drivers are not permitted to accept tips from the passengers.

The AMVETS Express takes homeless veterans and veterans who are having a mental health crisis to the hospital.  It also transports many disabled veterans who cannot drive a car. For many veterans the AMVETS Express is the only way for them to receive their medical care.

About 22 veterans are transported per month.  Because only three drivers are currently available, the Express cannot operate for lack of a driver.

To apply please call AMVETS Post 66 Commander Tom Swann Hernandez at (760) 324-5670.

 

Image Sources

  • Thank You Veterans: Shutterstock