2007 HARLEY’S HEROES™ TOUR ROLLS ACROSS AMERICA
DAYTONA, FL (March 5, 2007) - Thanks to the generosity of a $1 million pledge from the Harley-Davidson Foundation, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Mobile Service Offices (MSOs) will soon embark on the 2007 Harley’s Heroes™ Tour. The 2007 tour will include stops throughout the U.S. including over one hundred Harley-Davidson dealerships where benefits assistance will be offered to veterans of all ages in communities where they live.
The mission of the Harley’s Heroes™ Tour is to provide access to benefits for all veterans and show appreciation for their service and sacrifice to our country. While on the 2007 tour, the DAV MSOs will provide benefits counseling to those veterans who suffer from service-connected injuries but may never have filed a claim for benefits or have found it difficult working with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The 2007 Harley’s Heroes™ Tour will officially kick-off March 5-7 as part of Daytona Bike Week where thousands of motorcycle-loving veterans are drawn to Daytona, Florida. The DAV Mobile Service Office has been designed with Harley’s Heroes™ graphics so Harley riders can easily identify and locate it. It will be based outside the Daytona Convention Center located in the Harley-Davidson demonstration and display area. The MSO will be staffed by highly trained DAV National Service Officers, all of them wartime disabled veterans.
“In the truest sense of our mission to build better lives for disabled veterans and their families, the Harley’s Heroes Tour will enable the DAV to reach a greater number of veterans, better serving them and their families.” said Arthur H. Wilson National Adjutant of the 1.3-million-member DAV. “Many of our youngest veterans are unaware of the benefits they have earned. Informing those veterans of their rights will be the single most important task of the DAV during the 2007 Harley Heroes Tour.”
Many veterans who need the free help the DAV will provide through the 2007 Harley Heroes Tour are among the 1.4 million who have so far fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to data released by the VA, 25% of those veterans have already filed claims for benefits.
“The Harley’s Heroes tour will introduce even more veterans to the benefits they are entitled to receive,” said Gail Lione, President of the Harley-Davidson Foundation. “The overwhelming response of Harley-Davidson dealers signing up to participate reflects the commitment our dealers and riders have for the veteran community.”
About the Harley-Davidson Foundation
The Harley-Davidson Foundation, Inc. was established in 1993. Harley-Davidson, Inc. utilizes this non-profit organization to support the communities in which the Company has facilities. The majority of the Foundation's investments are in the areas of education and community revitalization with funds also supporting programs in arts and culture, health, the environment, and national veterans initiatives. For more information, visit www.harley-davidson.com.
About Disabled American Veterans
The 1.3 million-member Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit organization founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932, represents this nation’s disabled veterans. It is dedicated to a single purpose: building better lives for our nation’s disabled veterans and their families. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site www.SupportDAV.org.
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