Farmer Family Foundation Funds Custom-Built Van to Serve Tri-State
Cintas Corporation today unveiled a 40-foot mobile health unit that will serve Tri-State military veterans. The mobile health unit will be operated by the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, and it was built through the generosity of Cintas founder Richard T. Farmer and the Farmer Family Foundation.
“Our family has a long and active history of supporting veterans’ issues,” said Cintas CEO Scott Farmer. “We believe our citizens and our government can’t do enough for the brave men and women who defend our nation. When we learned of the need for funds for this project, we were honored to step in and help.”
On Dec. 10, 2007, Dick Farmer saw a news story in The Cincinnati Enquirer on the Thank You Foundation’s dream for the mobile health unit. He took the need to the family foundation’s board the very next day. As a result, the Farmer Family Foundation donated - in the name of Cintas - the entire $313,000 cost of the van.
“The mobile health unit will raise awareness for veterans’ healthcare services and facilitate treatment for those who need it,” said Todd Sledge, public affairs officer for Cincinnati’s VA Medical Center. “Instead of veterans having to come to us, the van will allow us to come to them, to meet them where they are and where they gather, to get them enrolled and screened, to get them started on the path toward healing.”
Veterans who enter the van will be able to enroll in the VA healthcare system, obtain physical and mental health screenings, get dental exams, and obtain referrals to the appropriate VA facility for care. They also will be able to get walkers, wheelchairs and scooters from the van, one of only six such units in the VA healthcare system. Cincinnati’s unit is the only one funded through private donations. The Thank You Foundation will maintain the van, which was built by Armor Mobile Systems in Mason, Oh.
Cintas unveiled the mobile health unit today at an employee-partner event at the corporation’s headquarters. The company actively recruits military veterans and offers multiple programs that recognize and assist military families. For the past four years, Cintas has been among G.I. Jobs’ list of the top 50 Military-Friendly Employers, ranking No. 11 last year.
“We’re proud of our country’s service men and women, and proud of our corporate record of supporting the troops,” Scott Farmer said. “This new mobile health unit starts a new chapter in the story of our commitment, and we’re confident it also starts a new chapter for veterans as they go about obtaining the services they so richly deserve.”
The public can see the mobile health unit at the “Welcome Home Celebration” on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 16, 2009 at Lunken Airport. The event will run from 4:30-9:30 p.m.
For more information on Cintas’ commitment to working partners and the community, visit www.cintascares.com. For general company information, visit www.cintas.com.
About Cintas Corporation:
Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types throughout North America. Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom supplies, promotional products, first aid and safety products, fire protection services and document management services to approximately 800,000 businesses. Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol CTAS and is a Nasdaq-100 company and component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
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Contacts:
Cintas Corporation
Heather Trainer, Corporate Communications
Manager, 513-701-2200
trainerh@cintas.com
