Joe Verde Supports Wounded Vets & CCI With Donations Totaling $97,000

Joe Verde Sales and Management Training, Inc., today announced that company president, Joe Verde, himself a veteran, has donated a total of $97,900 to the Wounded Veterans Initiative of Canine Companions for Independence, (CCI) a national nonprofit organization that provides highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities.

At the 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention in San Francisco, CA, last week, ADESA auctioned a 2012 Harley-Davidson Heritage motorcycle to raise funds to train service dogs for the Wounded Veterans Initiative of CCI. The winning bid of $20,000 was matched by Verde, who’d won the auction in the previous two years.

In January 2014, at another live auction event sponsored by NADA and ADESA, Verde was the highest bidder on a 2013 Heritage Softail Classic Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with a bid of $27,000. Verde then resold the motorcycle for $13,000. These funds were also donated to Canine Companions, bringing the donation total from this motorcycle to $40,000.

And in 2013, Verde bid $26,000 for a 2011 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, at yet another live auction event. He later resold that motorcycle for $11,900 and the funds were also donated to Canine Companions, bringing the total amount donated to date to $97,900.

“Our veterans have done so much for us and we don’t do nearly enough in return,” said Verde. “A dog is such a great source of emotional support – when you have one you almost can’t have a bad day. It’s not unusual for veterans to suffer from stress and one of the many things a trained dog does is help them to relax. I have nothing but respect for CCI and the great work it does in training and providing canine companions. I’ll never stop my support. It’s too important. Please do all you can to support this worthy cause; visit cci.org/veterans,” Verde added.

According to Verde, the presentation at NADA was made even more special by the fact that the veteran present to accept the donation on behalf of CCI, Marv Tuttle, served in the U.S. Army during the same time in Vietnam as Verde, in the 1st Cavalry Division.

Verde’s father was a veteran, and his son and two grandsons are all veterans, making four generations serving in the armed forces. Verde served in the U.S. Army for more than seven years and was stationed in Vietnam in 1967, 1968 and 1969, during the Vietnam War, as a CH-47 Flight Engineer. As a Purple Heart recipient himself, Verde has a strong connection with other veterans and has become active in ways to help them make a smoother transition into their lives back at home.