(INDIANAPOLIS) – Arrow McLaren SP, alongside team sponsor Vuse Vapor, will present a wheelchair-accessible van to the HVAF of Indiana Inc. (Helping Veterans and Families) on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.
The van will be presented at the IndyCar Experience at the Dallara INDYcar Factory near the Indanapolis Motor Speedway. Arrow McLaren SP Managing Director Taylor Keil will present the keys to HVAF CEO, Retired Brigadier General Brian R. Copes in front of a small, socially distanced group of veterans and team officials.
“As the largest non-profit provider to veterans in Indiana, this van will be a value-add to our service offerings. This generous donation is especially timely as we lean into Independence Day with our primary goal being to help our veterans find self-sufficiency and independence,” General Copes said of the gently-used van finding a new life and purpose in Indiana. “I’d like to thank Team AMSP and Vuse for the generous donation and support of those we serve.”
The van will provide HVAF a smaller, more reliable alternative to their current 17-person transporter (with nearly 1/2 million miles!), as they fulfill their mission of supporting homeless and near homeless veterans throughout central Indiana. HVAF has 13 transitional properties housing 120 homeless veterans on any given night. Most, if not all, of these veterans are without their own vehicle. As part of HVAF’s supportive wrap-around services, daily transportation is provided appointments at the VA Hospital and other medical offices, to HVAF’s food and clothing pantry as well as other pantries in the food community, and to job interviews. This van will become a newer more reliable vehicle for HVAF staff and the veterans who are transported. It will provide an entirely new option for those veterans HVAF serves with mobility challenges.
“Our relationship with AMSP has impacted our company more than any other partnership in recent memory,” said Natasha Webster, herself a veteran and spokesperson for Vuse Vapor and AMSP team sponsor. “Everyone in our organization, from our CEO down, has gotten
behind this. This will be the second vehicle we’ve donated this year- HVAF is the right organization, AMSP is the right team, and Indianapolis is the right city.”
“It’s fitting, as we celebrate July 4th, to recognize that this donation will allow HVAF to continue to provide independence and mobility to the veterans that have served our country,” stated Keil, Managing Director of AMSP. “It’s cliche, but this is a win for Indiana. I’m so proud of this on behalf of our team.”
