Scooters, SUVs and a 1986 hot rod were some of the about 30 vehicles members of the Campus Diplomats washed in honor of Veterans Day.
All money raised from the annual car wash, about $600, goes to the UF Collegiate Veteran Success Center, said Mallory Kazaleh, a liaison between the veterans center and Campus Diplomats.
The car wash, held in the parking lot of Checkers and Rally’s on West University Avenue on Saturday, has happened every year for the past five years, said Tommy King, a liaison with the Campus Diplomats.
“The Campus Diplomats are all about connecting people at UF and making sure that everybody feels like they’re at home,” King, a 20-year-old UF biology junior, said. “The people that are benefited by the CVSC feel like they’re home.”
Kazaleh and King said they feel a personal connection to the CVSC.
“We believe that these student veterans deserve just as many opportunities as a normal UF student, and we are going to do everything in our power to guarantee their access to these opportunities,” Kazaleh, a 20-year-old UF biology junior, said.
Jason Conner, a Marine Corps veteran and UF chemical engineering senior, washed cars and bought volunteers chicken bites and fries from Checkers.
“Personally, the CVSC gives us a location to meet other people and help each other transition from military to civilian life,” the 27-year-old said. “When lunchtime came around, I figured I had to repay them somehow. Who doesn’t love food?”
