Chapman donates office space, land to American Legion

When Victor "Doc" Moss, former commander of American Legion Post 149, found himself without a space to house the motorcycle safety program the Legion uses to raise funds for military families, he had a dilemma on his hands.

With more Nevada service men and women deployed, there are significant demands on the American Legion to help support military families. Loss of the safety program, which is a major source of income for the Legion's assistance programs, would be devastating.

Enter Chapman Dodge. The dealership, which recently relocated, recognized an opportunity and immediately stepped up to donate the use of its former offices and land, located at 3470 E. Boulder Highway, to the American Legion.

"I was so relieved when Chapman told me that we could use their old space for our motorcycle safety program," Moss said. "We raise funds for our veterans' services through donations and this program only, so it is critical to our success in supporting military families."

The American Legion's motorcycle safety program, the Cycle School, is approved by the state of Nevada Department of Public Safety and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. The program teaches defensive driving and street strategies, and offers a basic course for new riders, as well as an advanced course for those who want to improve their motorcycle driving skills. After a registrant of the Cycle School passes the program, he or she receives a motorcycle license at the DMV.

All Cycle School profits are donated to fund American Legion services that aid local veterans and their families.

Chapman Dodge has been a long-time supporter of the community's servicemen, servicewomen and military programs. Whether through offering special discounts, hiring recently returned soldiers or helping to sponsor programs to honor veterans, Chapman aims to express thanks to our nation's soldiers. Chapman also co-sponsors the American Legion radio show, "Still Serving," which airs on KLAV-AM Wednesday evenings. For Veterans Day parades, Chapman regularly donates its vehicles.

"Chapman is what a business should be when it comes to supporting our military," Moss said. "The American Legion is grateful for our partnerships with them. You couldn't ask for more from a company."

For its donation, Chapman Dodge was recently honored with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve award from the American Legion. Chapman's in-kind contribution to the Legion is estimated at approximately $35,000 annually.

Gary Brewer, general sales manager at Chapman Dodge and former staff sergeant of the Army Military Police, said the company's partnerships with the American Legion have been symbiotic. "The American Legion does a lot of work that is community oriented and Chapman is always looking for ways to give back to the community," Brewer said. "We are happy to be able to help by donating the space for their classroom, meeting facility and training range for the motorcycle safety program."

The Rev. Jim "Tiny" Dancy, chaplain of the American Legion Post 149 and class coordinator for the Cycle School, donates his time to schedule registrants of the program. "We've always known that Chapman was interested in the military community, but we couldn't believe our luck was that good," Dancy said.

Chapman Dodge sells and services new and used vehicles and is located on 3175 E. Sahara Ave. on the corner of East Sahara Avenue at Mojave Road. Chapman Dodge can be reached at 800-NewDodge and www.LasVegasDodge.com.