RICHMOND, Va. — A car, truck, and bike show filled the parking lots surrounding the Richmond VA Medical Center on Broad Rock Boulevard on Tuesday.
“It’s one of the reasons I bought the car, to bring it to places like this,” said Charles Davis, who drove his 1965 Dodge Coronet in from Chester. “It’s just nice being out here among these people.”
Since COVID, there have been few opportunities for the veterans who live on campus to be able to experience the events.
Thessalonia Fonnville and her team within the VA’s Center for Development and Civic Engagement decided to organize an event for the veterans who are isolated.
“[Our veterans] love cars and we actually get model cars donated and they paint them,” she explained.
Many of their veterans get around with the use of a wheelchair or are confined to a bed.
Tabitha Sierra, the assistant director of VA Richmond Healthcare System, said car enthusiasts embraced their mission from the start.
“The one car club told another car club that told another car club,” Sierra recalled.
Hundreds of new and classic automobiles filled the lots for this inaugural event.
The roar of engines echoed across the Southside.
Davis said he enjoyed talking with the veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom.
Among the camaraderie, bragging rights are on the line. Davis competed for trophies like Best Paint and Best Rumble.
“Prizes don’t mean anything,” he noted. “It’s the benefit of getting [the veterans] to come out and see somebody.”
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