VFW Riders Post 3762 has a new president and he, along with the rest of the post, are gearing up for their next event — the seventh-annual “Warrior Run.”
Prior president of the post, Duke Hanscel, is still involved with the VFW Riders but needed to lighten his local responsibilities as he took on more responsibility in the organization at the state level.
Still acting as vice president is John Everhart while the new president is David Carson.
Carson has been an active member of the local post for approximately seven years and was born in Bloomingburg.
Although Carson was a member of the VFW Riders prior to those active years, he explained he had been in the military and once he left the military, he lived in London, Ohio and was a member of that post.
Carson said he allowed his membership to slack with the London post as they weren’t as involved with activities, and traveled locally to attend Post 3762’s first Warrior Run held approximately seven years ago.
“I participated in it and have been back since,” said Carson.
He now lives in Madison Mills.
This is Carson’s first time acting as a president for an organization.
“It just felt like the right thing to do,” said Carson. “Duke’s got a lot on his plate right now. He’s got a couple of state offices — he’s a district rider’s group president.”
In the years to come, Carson explained he is most excited for the VFW Riders to grow statewide and paint a positive picture for everybody to see and look up to, along with the chance to help veterans.
“We have so many of our younger veterans coming home today that are so broken, and it’s something that I think if we can draw attention to their plight, and keep pressure on the VA and our government to be — they need to step up to the plate now and try to help heal these young men and women,” said Carson.
The event that got Carson interested in the local post, the Warrior Run, will be happening for the seventh time on Sept. 12.
Sign-ups for the ride will begin at 10 a.m., first bike will be out at noon and last bike will return at 5 p.m.
Following the ride will be a meal and after-party with music courtesy of the band, “Damage.”
Although VFW Post 3762 typically has one bike raffle a year, it will have a second raffle during this event.
This second raffle was made possible by Mike Galloway, a veteran from Columbus. Galloway was the winner of the initial raffle during Post 3762’s fourth-annual “Never Say No To Veterans Poker Run.”
The prize was a 2002 Big Dog Pitbull custom chopper that had essentially been rebuilt with new parts. To support the activities of the post, Galloway turned ownership back over and told them to raffle it off again.
As there can be extra funds raised with this raffle, half of the proceeds from this year’s warrior run will be donated to the Southern Ohio Buckeye Bikers.
As previously reported, Southern Ohio Buckeye Bikers is another non-profit that assists veterans and had to cancel most of their events this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are two ticket options. The first ticket option is $35 and includes the ride, the entertainment, the meal, and an entry into the raffle. The second ticket option is $10 and includes everything except for entry into the raffle.
Only one ticket can be purchased per person and only 325 tickets are being sold in total. A ticket holder does not have to be present at the event to win the chopper.
Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite, at the VFW Post 3762, and at Court House Customs (839 Columbus Ave. in Washington C.H.). Tickets can also be purchased from VFW Riders 3762 members and members of the Southern Ohio Buckeye Bikers.
“Our Riders group here in Court House is really active,” said Carson.
He further explained the activities they do focus on providing “a hand-up not so much a hand-out” to veterans in the local and surrounding communities.
Some of those activities have included the installation of ramps and rails for veterans, trimming a tree last year on a veteran’s property, assisting with occasional rent or utility payments, assisting with delivering groceries to the elderly and disabled during the first couple months of the pandemic shutdown, raising funds to assist with their own programs, as well as partnering programs, etc.
The VFW Riders Post 3762 is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization comprised of local volunteers. Those volunteers undertake several fundraisers and activities to assist local veterans in Fayette County and surrounding areas. They can be followed on its Facebook page, “VFW Riders Post 3762,” for updates.
Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355 or on Twitter @JennMWoods.
