Augusta, GA

Help Augusta veterans by becoming a volunteer driver for VA

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

Help Augusta veterans by becoming a volunteer driver for VA

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta area is home to over 66,000 veterans, and for some, making it to doctors’ appointments could be more of a task than a simple visit.

Since 1987, Disabled American Veterans departments and chapters have donated 3,763 vehicles and Ford Motor Company has donated 264 vehicles to help volunteers get to their appointments.

Retired Marine veteran Ric Morrow knows all too well how important the program is.

After retiring from serving our country, he continued his service by helping veterans as a volunteer driver for Disabled American Veterans medical transport service at VA Augusta.

He says he’s been doing it for 11 years.

“I love doing it. It gives me the opportunity to pay it forward to other veterans,” he said.

It’s a service between 800 to 1,000 veterans depend on every year to get to and from their healthcare appointments at the VA.

“There’s so many folks that just don’t have their own transportation so they don’t have the opportunity to take advantage of the medical care that they have without having to pay for their own transportation to get to and from appointments,” said Morrow.

Right now, they’re working with only 11 volunteers, and they say they need your help.

Hospital Service Coordinator at VA Augusta, Emma Brown, said: “The need is great. We need drivers badly. Please come and join DAV transportation because what you get at the end, it’s amazing. You get a family.”

Your service is in exchange for those who served our country.

Morrow said: “It’s fulfilling for me. It’s just that I’m actually doing and I’m paying it forward to other veterans.”

You can pay it forward too.

To sign up, call Brown at (706) 733-0188, extension 27256.

Volunteer drivers have to have a valid driver’s license, a good driving record, pass a physical exam, have the ability to conduct simple pre-operation vehicle checks and attend a defensive driver training course provided by VA Augusta.

Drivers get free breakfast and lunch meal tickets during their time volunteering.

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Augusta, GA

One dead following a shooting in Richmond County

Published

5 hours ago

March 28, 2026

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One dead following a shooting in Richmond County

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said a person has died after a shooting on Division Street Saturday afternoon.

Officials say the shooting happened at the 2100 block around 4 p.m.

The victim was shot at least one time and taken to Wellstar MCG, where he later died, the coroner’s office says.

The sheriff’s office also went to Division Street at approximately 4 p.m. in reference to the incident, deputies say.

An autopsy has been scheduled.

No further information is available at this time.

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Augusta, GA

Sandusky Ohio News | Sandusky Register

Published

17 hours ago

March 28, 2026

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<br /> Sandusky Ohio News | Sandusky Register <br />

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Augusta, GA

Augusta’s Turpin neighborhood to get affordable homes with $1.85M federal grant

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

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Augusta’s Turpin neighborhood to get affordable homes with .85M federal grant

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The historic Turpin neighborhood will soon welcome more affordable homes after Augusta Habitat for Humanity was awarded $1.85 million in federal funding this week.

The grant will fund the construction of at least 12 homes in the area.

“Habitat for Humanity applied for federal funding, and they were awarded the funding,” said District 2 Commissioner Stacy Pulliam.

Reviving a historic community

The Turpin neighborhood was once home to professionals, including educators, doctors, and lawyers.

“These big professionals that lived mostly over this way,” one resident said of the neighborhood’s history.

Pulliam described the area’s former prominence as “its grand days of glory, when it was the place.”

The project brings together city organizers and community partners through the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing, or GICH.

“We have so many partners. We have the Housing Authority on board. We have a representative from the Hub on board,” Pulliam said. “There’s so many great partners at the table that’s helping pull all of this together.”

Federal support and future plans

The project received backing from Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

Habitat for Humanity, with support from GICH, focused its application on Turpin Hill intentionally, as officials say the community had been needing to be addressed for years.

With Habitat for Humanity continuing to advocate for more funds, Pulliam said their motivation could lead to additional housing development in the future.

“We keep going and going and going,” she said. “Now we can do 20. Now we can do multifamily. So it’s fueling our fire to get more housing, but not just housing, to clean up the area.”

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