Electric scooter donated to Mount Vernon veteran – The Sentinel

Nov 06, 2024

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Sentinel Photo/TRAVIS MORSEHELPING A VETERAN — Several community members teamed up to provide an electric scooter for Mount Vernon veteran George Felty, SEATED CENTER. Also pictured, FROM LEFT, are George’s son Brett Felty, David Keen and Janetta Rightnowar.

Local residents work together to help vet in need

By TRAVIS MORSE

[email protected]

MOUNT VERNON — Sometimes teamwork is the best way to help people in need.

Recently, several Jefferson County residents came together to provide a donated electric scooter/wheelchair to Army National Guard veteran George Felty of Mount Vernon. It is an example of how local residents can band together to make a real difference in people’s lives.

“I think it’s awesome (that) around Veterans Day, we’re giving back to a veteran that’s served,” said former Mount Vernon Mayor David Keen, who helped with this effort.

Recently, a friend of Jefferson County resident Marc Tibbetts passed away and left Tibbetts the electric scooter. Tibbetts did not have use for the scooter himself, so he wanted to find a veteran in need to give it to. Tibbetts then contacted Mount Vernon American Legion Commander Danny Dale, who in turn got ahold of Keen.

At that point, Keen put the word out via Facebook and also enlisted the help of Janetta Rightnowar, who put something on her own Facebook page as well. About an hour after Keen and Rightnowar put the information up, George Felty’s son Brett saw the posts and contacted Keen to tell him that his dad could use the scooter.

On Friday, Keen and Rightnowar came to George Felty’s Mount Vernon residence to present him with the scooter. He was very pleased with the generous donation.

“It’s going to be a real asset to me,” George Felty said.

George said that he had transverse myelitis, which affected his walking, and then had a light stroke which made the walking situation worse.

“Right now, I’m using my walker as much as I can, but this is probably the next step for me,” George said of the electric scooter, later adding, “I’m looking forward to when I can use this thing. It’s a big help to me.”

Keen said that the scooter is brand new and has never been used. However, because it had been sitting for a long time, its two batteries needed to be replaced. Keen replaced the batteries and said that two people on social media have offered to reimburse him for that cost.

“The batteries cost $100 a piece and I had two people say that they’d pay $100 each,” Keen said. “So I went ahead and put the batteries in and they’re going to pay me back.”

Dale pointed out that the Mount Vernon American Legion tries to keep walkers, wheelchairs and items of that nature on hand to loan out to veterans and the general public when the need arises. He also remarked on the donation to George Felty.

“I want to thank Marc Tibbetts for donating the chair to the American Legion,” Dale said. “And I appreciate David Keen for following up on that and finding a veteran in need of that particular chair. … We’re just happy that it went to a veteran and that it went to someone in need.”

Rightnowar, a friend of the Felty family, said that it was great to see everything fall into place with this donation.

“We’ve known each other forever,” Rightnowar said of the Felty family. “So I was really excited to hear that George needed it and that it’s going to work out great and that the batteries (are) coming through. It just clicked right into place. … I just think it’s amazing how our community steps up.”

Keen said that this situation is a great example of several veterans working together to help another veteran. The man who passed away and originally donated the scooter was a veteran, as are Tibbetts, Dale and Keen. Rightnowar has also helped out on numerous veterans projects locally, Keen said.

For more information on issues of this nature, contact David Keen or the Mount Vernon American Legion.