One day, I received an email from a man looking to see if we had known anyone who needed a hospital bed that he was given but did not fit how he thought it was going to in his house. This lovely man was looking to pay it forward and give it, free of charge, to someone who needed it. Unfortunately, we did not know of anyone that was looking for a hospital bed. It was then randomly brought up how we are having a hard time donating our scooters at this time and we apologized for not being able to help. He then responded being curious about these scooters we had to offer, mentioning he was 100% disabled and had a tough time getting around.

Immediately, I investigated what scooters we had available and set up a delivery for the following week. If Jeff Varney had not emailed me that day questioning our connections for the hospital bed, we would have never been able to help him and his wife, Diane. It also goes to show that asking questions and for help is never a bad thing. By him asking about our scooters, we were able to help him out.

Jeff has been extremely thankful for this opportunity that ES Riders was able to provide for him. By ES Riders offering free rides for veterans, it boosts their self-esteem and gives them a sense of freedom back. These rides for veterans go beyond gifting them an electric scooter. We have now built a relationship with Mr. Varney, and he has connected us to many other disabled veterans in need. Jeff states, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brooke Murphy and Charles Desrosiers from The Life Beyond Foundation, ES Riders. I had contacted them for a different reason, and then the topic of scooters came up. Without missing a beat, Brooke said ‘let me go check.’ I am a 100% permanent and totally disabled veteran who has a lot of difficulty with mobility. With the help of nonprofits, like ES Riders, that continues to help veterans has provided me with the chance to change my life, including my wife Diane and my family. Thank you, keep on helping veterans.”

Being able to meet different disabled veterans who deserve more than we can ever provide for them is an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience for all of us here at ES Riders. Hearing Jeff tearing up over the other end of the phone that day is what it is all about. By offering this small gesture, Jeff can now get around more easily.

There are so many more “Jeffs” out there that need our help. Jeff is a strong advocate for the VA and other veterans in the New Hampshire area. He was able to connect with his social worker to spread awareness of ES Riders to all other social workers in New Hampshire. By Jeff doing this, we can meet so many other disabled veterans out there that could benefit from an electric scooter, free of charge. We are grateful for this chance to grow our nonprofit and reach more people and families who need our help.

We hope that Jeff and his family enjoy the scooter as much as we enjoyed donating it to them. Knowing that we helped even one disabled veteran is what keeps us going. This is what it is all about. This is what drives our passion and keeps up enthusiastic about what we do. Being a nonprofit through the pandemic has been challenging but situations like this reminds you why it is we do what we do. To see that smile of Jeff, and his wife Diane’s, face when they received their new electric scooter from ES Riders was priceless.

We would like we thank Jeff for his service and wish him a long, happy, life where he can ride around on his new electric scooter and gain some freedom back. If you or anyone you know is a disabled veteran in need of an electric scooter for mobility purposes, please reach out to any of us at ES Riders for more information. Thank God Jeff contacted us about the hospital bed that day, now ES Riders was able to provide him with a new electric scooter!