Veterans welcome a new set of wheels

Sunnybrook veterans will have a smoother ride and be the talk of the town as they travel through the community in a new $300,000 stylish coach bus generously donated by the Royal Canadian Legion.

"Without this bus would be shut-ins," says John Manestar, a Second World War veteran and resident of the Veterans Centre. We are so grateful to the Legion for this remarkable donation to the hospital and the lives of Canadian war veterans."

Members of the Royal Canadian Legion's Tri-District Hospital Committee's ABC & DEF and the Ladies' Auxiliary presented the keys to the bus and took part in the official ribbon-cutting and ceremonies held at the Centre on Saturday, September 8th.

The new coach bus can accommodate 30 passengers and has a fresh contemporary look with large poppies and the words, "Lest We Forget" along the side. In a show of appreciation, it was named Legionnaire by the residents. The new coach replaces the Bullet II, which has served the veterans for the past ten years.

Each month, with the support of recreation therapists, Sunnybrook veterans enjoy over thirty planned community outings either to the mall, sports or cultural events or longer excursions, such as Niagara Falls or the annual get-away to summer camp on beautiful Lake Joseph.

In 1948, Sunnybrook Veterans' Hospital opened as the largest Veterans' hospital in Canada. To this day, the hospital stands as a symbol of the nation's gratitude to its war veterans. Sunnybrook is proud to have a long-standing history and legacy of caring for Canada's war heroes, who are no longer able to live independently at home.