Fundraiser delivers new bus to Veterans Home
Bob Olson beside the Montana Veterans Home new bus. (Photo courtesy Whitefish Community Foundation)
A new passenger bus was recently unveiled at the Montana Veterans Home. Checking out the bus are, left to right, administrator Joren Underdahl, Lewis McCready, recreation supervisor Bonnie Stutsman, Bob Wood and Mac McPhee. (Photo courtesy Whitefish Community Foundation)
Veterans from the Montana Veterans Home recently got the chance to check out the new passenger bus they’ll have the chance to enjoy as the result of a fundraising effort that began last year.
Longtime Veterans Home volunteer Dianna Bennett last spring began a campaign to raise $130,000 in funding for a new bus for the Veterans Home. The home’s previous bus was plagued by mechanical issues and was uncomfortable to ride in. Bennett raised $20,000, and then the Whitefish Community Foundation in July pushed the effort to its goal when the foundation presented a Major Community Project Grant Award of $117,500 to complete the project.
The fundraiser allowed for the purchase of a new 14-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus with extended seats for improved comfort, heating and air-conditioning.
The passenger bus is used frequently and takes veterans to Glacier National Park, to Kalispell for shopping, and to visit the Whitefish VFW.