THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100453
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Since the early 1940s, Richard Hassell has been a one-man mission of mercy, hitting the road to help the needy, the homeless, the downtrodden, by day and night.
For the past three years he has done it with the help of a used van, a maroon 1986 Plymouth Voyager with the words ``Christian Action'' emblazoned on the side panels and rear doors.
But the old van, which was donated, is slowly crumbling with age. It has become a liability rather than an asset in his quest to help people.
``The engine is going, the transmission is going, the wheel bearings are going,'' said the burly 85-year-old Hassell matter-of-factly, from beneath his trademark blue yachting cap.
The vehicle clanks, grinds and wheezes down the streets of Norfolk, Portsmouth or Virginia Beach these days, and Hassell is forced to wave traffic past the faltering vehicle with one hand, while steering with the other.
It has been repaired so many times - free of charge - that mechanics refuse to bother with it any more.
``Man, it's rough when you depend on your transportation and it's gone,'' said a chagrined Hassell. ``It's like death has happened.''
What Hassell is hoping for is nothing short of a miracle - a sudden charitable impulse that will inspire someone or some organization to donate a replacement vehicle. What he needs, he says, is a dependable steed with which to ride forth into urban jungles to rescue stranded mothers, destitute children and the homeless elderly.
It is what he does. Typically he is summoned in the middle of the night by the police of a South Hampton Roads city, or even the State Police, to go to the aid of someone in need. It may be a family turned out on the street by a fire, or a call to help a woman and her infant children, who have been living out of a parked car.
``I go get 'em, put 'em up at a motel, get 'em something to eat,'' he said.
That done, he usually directs them to the nearest Social Services offices for permanent shelter and financial aid.
The charity work is done on a monthly $380 Social Security check and the services, merchandise and food that Hassell can coax from a handful of willing local merchants, innkeepers and restaurateurs.
When Hassell isn't wheeling around in his van, he is fielding telephone calls for assistance at his apartment in the Bobbitt Midrise Retirement Community in Norfolk.
So far, Hassell says, the two or three automobile dealers he has approached have shown scant interest in donating a reliable replacement vehicle to the cause.
``They ask me how much money I can put down,'' he said. ``Heck, I ain't got no money to put down. All I have is my Social Security check.''
Hassell estimates that he has aided more than 2 million people since he began his philanthropic efforts. Included are those who, for the past eight years, have been treated to free dinners at Open Door Chapel in Virginia Beach each Thanksgiving and Christmas.
He has been recognized locally and nationally for his good works. In 1992, he was named one of President Bush's ``thousand points of light.'' He has since been honored on NBC Nightly News and by the Virginia General Assembly and the Urban League of Hampton Roads. MEMO: Anyone interested in helping Hassell get a replacement vehicle may reach
him by calling Christian Action, 461-7249. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by STEVE EARLEY, The Virginian-Pilot
Richard Hassell has approached a number of car dealers about
donating a replacement for his aging Plymouth Voyager. ``They ask me
how much money I can put down,'' he said. ``Heck, I ain't got no
money to put down.''
by CNB