National High Five Tour to come to Lawrence, raising money for wounded veterans

Wounded Warriors Family Support’s annual and national High Five Tour is asking Lawrencians to dip into their pockets on May 22 for the country’s veterans and military families, said coordinator Ron Julianelle.

The tour, which is in its sixth year, aims to raise money to buy “mobility-equipped” vehicles for wounded veterans, said Julianelle.

“If they need hand controls or wheelchair accessibility,” said Julianelle. “It’s for whatever they need.”

The organization’s 17-week tour will take two mobility-equipped cars, a 2015 Ford F-15 and 2015 Ford Explorer, to 65 cities in 48 states, he added.

Between 9 and 11 a.m. on May 22 the tour will stop at Laird Noller Automotive, 935 West 23rd St., said Julianelle. There, people will be able to examine the specialized vehicles to better understand what the organization is working to purchase.

“It’s so they can see exactly what their donations and their support money is going to,” said Julianelle. “We’ve pledged to purchase a million dollars worth of these vehicles. We’re helping these veterans get the vehicles they desperately need.”