Gaston businesses come together to give veteran new ride

Gaston Gazette (Gastonia, NC)

Aug. 06--Four months ago, Kirk Davis was a homeless, retired military veteran living out of a Toyota 4Runner with no working air conditioning.

The 57-year-old Davis has a home now, and thanks to an anonymous donor and some donated work from a number of Gaston County businesses, he now has a more conventional vehicle.

The local businesses, which include Pack Brothers Collision Center, J&J Upholstery, Stanley Towing and Collision Safety Consultants, along with the anonymous donor, gifted Davis a refurbished 2003 Cadillac. It can cool itself, which allows Davis to take another step forward.

Davis has had two knee replacement surgeries, as well as heart and back problems. But he vowed not to get a service dog if it meant forcing the animal into a hot car. Now, he doesn't have to worry about waiting.

"I have my email all set to go, ready," he said. "To know that everything is in place, I can release the email so hopefully sometime after Labor Day we'll have a service dog ready to go for me."

Davis, a native of Iowa, has had his share of setbacks since leaving the Marine Corps after eight years in 1988. His wife, Cindi, developed breast cancer in 2008. She fought it off once, but it returned two years later and the disease took her life in 2014.

Medical bills piled up and the bank foreclosed on his house in April. By May, he found a single-wide trailer in Lincoln County to call home.

Despite his struggles, Davis says he refused to think negatively.

"I always find an upbeat to everything, even with being homeless," Davis said. "There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, it's just not always bright and shining."

When a local vehicle became available, the group of businesses that work together decided to give the vehicle away to a local veteran, said Collision Safety CEO Billy Walkowiak.

Mike Stubbs, commander of The Military Order of the Purple Heart group in Harrisburg, knew just the man for the honor. Davis never received a Purple Heart, but he was a member of the veterans organization dedicated to helping his fellow service member.

Plus, Stubbs admired the way Davis battled through tough times.

"He's so humble," Stubbs said. "He doesn't want anything given. He wants to help other people."

Davis agreed to donate the money he made from selling his 4Runner to The Military Order of the Purple Heart.

He revved the engine of his new ride during a ceremony held at Pack Brothers on Monday. He spoke with the dozens of people who came to support him, including U.S. Reps. Patrick McHenry and Mark Meadows, N.C. Sen. Kathy Harrington, R-Gaston, Belmont Mayor Charlie Martin, Cramerton Mayor Will Cauthen, Sheriff Alan Cloninger, Superior Court Judge David Phillips, District Court Judge Craig Collins and Belmont City Manager Adrian Miller.

Davis admitted he was excited to spin the Cadillac's new tires.

"It says 160 on the speedometer," he said. "I wonder if that's a gauge or an idea. We'll take it out and find out."

Ronnie Pack of Pack Brothers agreed to pay the car insurance bill for Davis for the next year. Collision Safety Consultants will pay the property tax and tag, title and inspection fees for the next three years. Sammy's Pub in Belmont provided food for the Monday's event.

"The great thing about this is that everybody came together and everybody did something," Walkowiak said.

You can reach Adam Lawson at 704-869-1842 or on Twitter @GazetteLawson.

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