SamBeller.org

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

Sam's Van Has Been Ordered!

Dear Sam’s fan club,

We are delighted to announce that Sam’s van has been ordered!! And the generosity of those involved just got bigger and bigger and the circle of those involved in this gift got wider and wider! We thought we’d share the story and the latest folks who have become involved…

Howard Oder gave David his card on Sunday and encouraged David to call him at his office on Monday since he knows the owner/president of Reliable Chevrolet, Darrell McCutcheon, through the business of his bank, North Dallas Bank & Trust, Co.

David and Howard talked on Monday. Howard then called Reliable Chevrolet and spoke with Mr. McCutcheon, basically asking him to consider selling us a van at cost. Mr. McCutcheon agreed. He then called David and got a basic list of requirements, but helped explore the options available. He phoned the wheelchair accessibility specialist and found out what they needed to accomplish their installation. Mr. McCutcheon recommended that we go with a normal conversion chassis and have it converted to our specs.

On Tuesday morning Kelly and David met with Daryl McClendon of Regency conversions and examined the options available. We were trying to get the most affordable, but also the most durable. We decided on what they call the Protégé, but deleted a number of options and added a few others. We had also heard from a variety of sources that leather upholstery was desirable for durability and stain issues. For the most part everything is basic with plenty of room for Sam’s chair.

After selecting what we needed, we presented the list to Darrell McCutcheon who ran the numbers and returned with a contract price. Because of Howard Oder’s influence, our price was 30% below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. So, we were able to handpick our van with a price tag of around $31,000 instead of $43,000. WOW!!!!!!

And talk about stress-free car shopping! It was so incredible to be able to walk in there with the funds that the members of Preston Rd had donated to Sam. It was the first time that car shopping was fun! We are so very thankful!!

Approximate time line ends somewhere at the end of March and we’ll be ready for a road trip:
- Van arrives 4-6 weeks (standard cargo van from factory)
- Floor dropped 1 week (for lift)
- Van converted 2 weeks (from cargo van to family van)
- Lift installed 1 week

So that’s the update. We’re thrilled and wanted to share with you. May the Lord bless all who were involved in putting together this awesome gift for Sam and the rest of us very humbled and grateful Bellers.

Shalom,
David & Kelly