When Project EverGreen’s SnowCare for Troops initiative was expanded to include wounded and disabled veterans this season, it meant that proud veterans like Carl Harris would be able to benefit from this award-winning program.
Now in its fifth year and underwritten by BOSS Snowplow, SnowCare for Troops is providing thousands of deployed military families and wounded and disabled veterans with free snow and ice removal services. These services allow military families and veterans to carry on with their daily routines such as getting the kids to school, shopping for groceries and making important medical appointments.
For Harris, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, the program has delivered all of the above and allowed him to carry out an important mission he performs for fellow veterans.
Q: How did you get involved with SnowCare for Troops?
A: Project EverGreen contacted us when they expanded the program this year and we thought it would be a real service to our membership so the vice president and I signed up to see how it worked. Project EverGreen worked to find a good match for me – Dominic Accordino of Accordino Landscaping in Wadsworth, Ohio, near Akron – and it has worked out very well. I feel very comfortable with Dominic and he has been very responsive and understanding.
Q: What do the snow and ice removal services SnowCare for Troops provide mean to veterans?
A: There are things disabled veterans can and can’t do. For veterans who can get around some, the exertion of shoveling and the risk of frost bite is great. For those who are disabled, it is a means of getting themselves and their families out of the house to appointments and daily functions. SnowCare for Troops helps veterans remain an active part of the community and live life with respect and dignity.
Q: How has the SnowCare for Troops program helped you personally?
A: I travel twice a week to the Veterans’ Administration hospital in Cleveland to volunteer helping other veterans. I have been doing it for nearly 20 years and am able to continue the favor that was done for me years ago. Being a VA volunteer is very important to me and I can’t let snow and ice stop me from getting there and doing my best for my fellow veterans.
Q: What would you say to veterans considering signing up for SnowCare for Troops?
A: I would say it is a service that works and that they should give it a try. It gives them more mobility and flexibility in their daily routine, and gives them peace of mind. It is a program that really works.
For more information on the Paralyzed Veterans of America, visit www.pva.org.
For more information on how you can volunteer for the GreenCare or SnowCare for Troops programs, visit www.projectevergreen.org/scft