Donations helping veterans get around


Local veteran Joe Mendro (above, standing with walker) accepts the keys for a donated van from Bob Olson from Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 210 in Lakeville on Dec. 20 in Pipestone. Also pictured: (l-to-r) Pipestone County Veterans Service Officer Renae Schuch, Joe’s wife Marsha and Jim Cooper, also with VFW Post 210. Contributed photo

About three-and-a-half years ago, Joe Mendro was playing soccer with his kids in his yard when he cut his foot on something.

He wasn’t sure what cut him, but wasn’t too worried about it because it was just a small wound, like a paper cut, said Mendro, 47, of Pipestone. He treated the cut with an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment and put a bandage on it.

“A month after it happened, I just passed out in the house,” Mendro said.

He woke up in a CT scanner at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls. Whatever cut him caused a bacterial infection that he battled for the next three years.

“I had about 12 surgeries on this foot before they finally took the leg,” Mendro said.

The loss of his leg left him unable to drive, leaving his wife Marsha as the lone driver for their family. As such, Marsha had to take time off of work to take Joe to doctor’s appointments and was the only one who could transport their children to various activities.

The ongoing medical procedures left Mendro unable to work much of the time and took a toll on the family’s finances.

As a result, Mendro ended up seeking assistance for he and his family through Southwest Health and Human Services. In the process he came across the Veterans Services Office on a list of potential resources that could provide help. Mendro served four years in the Navy and four years in the National Guard in the 1990s.

Mendro met with Renae Schuch, Pipestone County Veterans Service Officer (VSO), and Schuch was able to find a van that met Mendro’s needs. She found the van through the Veteran Donor Connection program operated by the New Ulm Chapter of Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and Mendro received it the week before Christmas.

“She can work miracles,” Mendro said of Schuch.

The 2010 Honda Odyssey van with 75,000 miles on it was donated by James and Jane Boulware of Apple Valley with the assistance of Ken Titcomb, quartermaster and finance officer for the Lakeville Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 210 and owner of Christian Brothers Automotive. The van is equipped with a lift and controls for the accelerator and brakes on the steering wheel.

“It’s pretty phenomenal,” Mendro said.

He’ll begin using the van once he receives training on working the accelerator and brake controls on the steering wheel. DAV of Minnesota paid over $1,700 for Mendro to receive the training and the state licensing that’s needed to use the special controls. The Lakeville VFW provided over $1,000 for vehicle repairs. DAV also provided Mendro with an electric scooter to help him get around.

In addition to the van and scooter, Mendro said the Pipestone community has been very supportive of him and his family. Although he’s been unable to work much due to his medical problems, Mendro said his employers at the Pipestone Pizza Ranch, Scott and Tom Ploeger, have held his job for him. People have also provided monetary gifts, rides to doctor’s appointments, food, a dorm refrigerator, gift cards and more. Mendro said the support has been overwhelming.

“I just wish I could thank the whole town,” he said. “I want to thank everybody who’s helped.”

About the same time that Mendro received a van, another Pipestone resident donated one through the same program.

Marlys Hazelton donated a 1983 Dodge van with just over 100,000 miles on it. The van has a raised roof, lift and hand controls to accelerate and brake that were used by her husband, Francis, who is paralyzed from the waist down. She said she wanted to get a new van that was smaller and easier to park.

They considered selling the van, but found there wasn’t much of a market for a van with a lift. They then decided to donate it and contacted Schuch, who directed her to Brown County VSO Greg Peterson, who is also the coordinator for the Donor Connection program. Peterson reached out to other VSOs in the state and helped connect Hazelton with veteran Mark Dresser of Mora, who needed a van with a lift after he stopped working. Hazelton said she met Dresser and his wife when they picked up the van in Pipestone the week before Christmas.

“It was a good experience,” she said. “I was thrilled to meet them and felt they really deserved it.”

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