Car Brings Hope, Help For Veterans

A small crowd gathered at the Pioneer Tire and Auto Center recently to celebrate a good deed that will go a long way toward helping homeless veterans.

The manager of Pioneer, Ryan Esto, and owner John Barr were greeted gratefully for repairing and then donating a car to Liberty Manor for Veterans, which runs facilities in Tampa and Largo that provide transitional housing to men who have been honorably discharged from the U.S. military.

The car, a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass, will give the vets more freedom to travel to important destinations, including the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital.

The donation was facilitated by the Riverview American Legion Post 148 and prompted by a donation of a different car - one that didn't run.

In July, a woman donated a 1996 Ford Escort wagon to the post. Bob Underhill, post commander, and Tom "T.C." Cobb, a past commander, went to pick up the car, but it wouldn't start.

They had it towed to Cobb's home, and he got it working, but it still "had a pinging engine knock," said Ken Ferrin, a past post commander and adjutant of the American Legion's 15th District.

Ferrin drove the car to Pioneer Tire and Auto. Barr and Esto agreed to diagnose it and, "as cheaply as we could, get it running," Esto said.

Meanwhile, Kathryn Ferrin, Ken's wife and commander of the 15th District, made a motion at a post meeting to donate the car to the Liberty Manor. Her hope was that residents would not have to depend on Connie Henderson Blaney, founder and chief executive officer of the facility, or public transportation to run errands and get to appointments. The motion carried.

Unfortunately, however, Esto called Sept. 26 to say that the Escort's deficiencies were extensive and too costly to repair. Underhill arranged for it to be picked up by a scrap metal dealer.

"We were disappointed that we could not help our fellow veterans less fortunate than us," Ken Ferrin said.

Then Esto called Ferrin Oct. 3 saying he had something to bring to the post. Ferrin assumed it was an item for the post's annual golf tournament the next day.

Instead, Esto and Barr "walked into Post 148 and handed us the keys to a 1995 Oldsmobile to be donated to Liberty Manor," Ferrin said. "Speechless does not begin to express the reactions of the members present."

Dennis Pinckard of Ruskin, a longtime Pioneer customer, had brought the car to Pioneer Tire and Auto, uncertain whether he should have it repaired or buy a new car, Ferrin said. He decided to replace it.

Esto told Pinckard about the Liberty Manor veterans, and Pinckard decided to donate his car for their use.

Barr said he and the rest of the Pioneer auto family were glad to point Pinckard in the vets' direction.

"We were happy to do it," he said. "These guys deserve much more from us."

Kathryn and Ken Ferrin took the Oldsmobile to Liberty Manor Oct. 5.

Delivering the car "was a most rewarding experience," Ken Ferrin said. When the residents saw it, he said, "smiles were wide. Everyone started hugging and shaking hands. ... A few tears were shed. The guys were inspecting the car inside and out, under the hood, in the trunk."

"The Legion heard how badly we were struggling to transport our veterans to the VA hospital," Blaney said. "The donation of a vehicle makes many tasks possible. We were all absolutely ecstatic!

"Most of our residents cannot easily get to the grocery store, as they travel by city bus," she said. "Therefore, they cannot purchase basic staples such as milk and ice cream because it would melt by the time they arrived home."

James Craig Cherry, a veteran who still feels the pain of gunshot wounds he suffered while serving in Haiti, is required as associate director of Liberty Manor to run errands for all three properties. He has become the Oldsmobile's designated driver.

He "has an impeccable driving record, for he drove a five-star general around when he served as an Army Ranger," Blaney said.

Cherry said the car is a real time saver. "I used to have to wait around for Connie. Now I can respond immediately to emergencies," he said.

"For Connie, it meant a tremendous relief from constant running," Ken Ferrin said. "Now, the guys will be able to help themselves and each other without having to depend on when Connie or someone else is available to take them. They ask for nothing, but they need just about everything."

HOMETOWN HERO

On Oct. 22, veteran James Cherry, associate director of Liberty Manor for Veterans, was awarded the 2008 Hillsborough County Brave Citizen Award for having saved two lives during the time he has lived at the facility.

One evening, one of the Liberty Manor residents complained of chest pains. Cherry, who had served years ago as a paramedic at a fire station in Sandy Hill, La., took the man's blood pressure, which he found was elevated.

"His breathing was labored," Cherry said, "and he was in obvious distress, so I called 911. The next day he had triple bypass surgery."

Another time, Cherry smelled smoke and discovered a house on fire. "Before I knew it, I had run through three yards and over four fences. There was a lady inside the house. She was locked in - there were deadbolts on the outsides of the doors," Cherry said.

Others caught up with him, he said, "and we broke in and shoved her through the front window."

Barbara Routen