PLATOON
RUN
Since
1987, Wisconsin car clubs and motorcycle clubs have banded together to put on a
vehicle show to benefit patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in
Tomah, Wisconsin, known as Platoon Run.
There
is a parade of cars and motorcycles from the Monroe County Fairgrounds to the
Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center grounds where you can see car and
motorcycle enthusiasts from different parts of the state converge and unite for
the sole purpose of helping the veterans that are hospitalized there.
It
is truly heartwarming to see the patients individually escorted around the rows
of vehicles by the show participants themselves. Not only do the patients have the opportunity
to socialize, but to pick worthy recipients for trophies of their own making.
Funds
each year are raised by selling buttons, t-shirts and raffles. There is no entry fee for vehicles and no fee
for spectators. Donations are always
accepted, with all proceeds going to the hospital’s recreational fund.
One
project which became a reality in 1992 was the creation of an outdoor
recreational center to be used by the hospital patients. Land and landscaping was donated by Wisconsin
River Power Company for the purpose of erecting a shelter and pier at Lake
Petenwell located near Necedah, Wisconsin.
Platoon Run efforts financed the purchase of the materials for this
project, and the construction labor was donated by Telephone Pioneers of
America.
With
continued support for Platoon Run, we can show our appreciation to the
hospitalized veterans and help make their lives more pleasurable.
Platoon Run XXIV will be
held August 22, 2010. For further
information, contact the Wizards of Rods at 608-372-2855 or the Veterans Affairs
Medical Center at 608-372-1727.