By Thom Tschetter
Most people know that Prescott is Arizona’s Christmas City. Many don’t know we’re also known as Arizona’s most patriotic city, and this story proves why.
Five local businesses pitched in to make it Christmas in July for a local veteran and his family.
Dane Hampton isn’t just any veteran. He’s a veteran who helps other veterans. Dane manages the DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Chapter 16 Thrift Store at 730 5th S. in Prescott. More than 80% of the store’s proceeds are used to support veterans in our community.
DAV helps veterans with their disability claims and appeals, as well as providing financial and housing assistance.
Last May, Dane, himself, became a veteran in need when a driver crossed over the center lane, totaling the family’s only vehicle and inflicting significant injuries to Dane. The offending driver had no insurance or driver’s license. He then skipped out of the country, leaving Dane and his wife Shelley holding the bag.
Dane, in a cast and on crutches, was undaunted by his injuries and continued to fulfill his role at the DAV Thrift Store.
Coincidentally, in June, KQNA launched
DriveTime, an automotive talk radio show. Show co-host and owner of Prescott Valley Transmissions Desmond Creighton said, “Our first order of business was to find a home for a car that a member of Starting Point Church donated for us to give to someone in need. We wanted to give it to a deserving veteran during Frontier Days in celebration of the 4th of July.”
Louie Gomez, owner of Prescott Tire Pros, said, “Dane’s circumstances and his track record of supporting other veterans made him the right choice.”
DriveTime is a show about anything automotive. It airs on KQNA 1130 AM and FM 95.5 and 99.9 on Saturday and Sunday at 6 a.m. Automotive industry veteran Thom Tschetter is the host, and he’s joined each week by one of the show’s sponsors who co-hosts.
In addition to Thom, Desmond and Louie, the team includes Car Show Guru Ken Freund, “The Crew” (Bruce, Brandon, Matt and Chris) at All New Again Paintless Dent Repair, Bruce Wallace of 5 Star Cars, and Lenora Bennett-Bateman, the President of Bennett Oil.
Drop by the DAV Thrift store to check out the great values. Don’t forget to thank Dane for his service to our country and our community.
