Brandon Welch from Wheels for Warriors presents the keys to the car to Irving Brown. Photo: Terry Rogers
Irving Brown shares guardianship with special needs students and had been struggling with transportation challenges.
That is he had challenges before newly formed Wheels for Warriors presented him with a 2011 Honda Odyssey during a VFW board meeting on Jan. 2.
“This means a lot to me, to my family,” Brown said. “This will help me get them to their appointments and school. I am so blessed right now.”
How Wheels for Warriors works
Matt and Brandon Welch, founders of the Wheels for Warriors program, developed the concept for the program that takes vehicles that are too costly for an owner to repair, fixes them, details them, and gives them to veterans who are struggling to assimilate back into civilian life.
“I work at an auto shop in Dover, so I do have access to cars and have the ability to repair them,” Welch, who is a Marine veteran himself, said. “I met Mike [Snyder] through work and he went in with me to purchase the first car. That one wasn’t really viable, so we found another, fixed it up and handed over the keys.”
Snyder operates Veterans United Outreach, a grassroots organization that began as a way to help Vietnam veterans but has since shifted to help other veterans as well. His organization aims to network federal, state, and local benefits, reaching out to assist vets emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
“I have worked with Mindy [Bacchus] and together, we have been able to connect even more organizations in Delaware to assist veterans,” Snyder said. “We all have different rules and different services, so we are all little pieces of one big puzzle. I connected Mindy with Matt and this has been a huge benefit.”
Bacchus is the deputy director of Warriors Helping Warriors, which operates the Brian Conley Veteran Resiliency Center in Middletown.
“The average is about six to nine months that a homeless veteran stays with us and, of course, homelessness is the biggest problem facing veterans today,” Bacchus said. “We get them connected with the VA, because so many veterans are not even aware of the benefits they are entitled to receive. We connect them with employers, find them affordable housing, furnish the home, and guide them toward success.”
Matt Welch and Brandon Welch from Wheels for Warriors and Mindy Bacchus explain their program to the VFW board in Milford. Photo: Terry Rogers
Bacchus said transportation is often the biggest hurdle for veterans who have found themselves homeless to overcome. Wheels for Warriors could become a significant benefit to those moving toward a more stable life after the military.
Getting the word out on Wheels for Warriors
“We are here tonight to make people aware of this program,” Welch told the VFW board. “The more organizations who know what we are doing, the more successful we will become. I do the mechanical work on the vehicle, and my son, Brandon, does all the detailing work.”
Welch plans to reach out to Home of the Brave and other veteran organizations to bring even more awareness to his organization. He is looking for a location for Wheels for Warriors to call home.
“I pass a building on Rehoboth Boulevard every day, and it has been calling me,” Welch said. “I reached out to the owner, but DelDOT needs some of the property to add turn lanes, and he is not sure how much they will take.”
Welch hopes DelDOT will only need a small portion of the land to keep the building intact. The owner plans to refurbish the outside while Welch and his group refurbish the inside. He is also working with the IRS to obtain his 501(c)3.
For more information or to donate vehicles or funding toward the Wheels for Warriors program, contact Welch at 302-465-8277.
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