Veterans from the Montana Veterans Home recently got the chance to check out the new passenger bus they’ll have the chance to enjoy as the result of a fundraising effort that began last year.

Longtime Veterans Home volunteer Dianna Bennett last spring began a campaign to raise $130,000 in funding for a new bus for the Veterans Home. The home’s previous bus was plagued by mechanical issues and was uncomfortable to ride in. Bennett raised $20,000, and then the Whitefish Community Foundation in July pushed the effort to its goal when the foundation presented a Major Community Project Grant Award of $117,500 to complete the project.

The fundraiser allowed for the purchase of a new 14-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus with extended seats for improved comfort, heating and air-conditioning.

The passenger bus is used frequently and takes veterans to Glacier National Park, to Kalispell for shopping, and to visit the Whitefish VFW.