There was a lot of buzz at the Mansion today, the new van that so many of you helped pay for arrived this afternoon. Mansion Director Katie Perez checked it out with Red. People on the blog and some Mansion family members raised $10,000 to help buy the Mansion, which will get a lot of use driving residents to the doctor, and on field trips and travels to parks, the van is the lifeline of the residents to the world beyond.

Everyone there, residents and staff was talking about it. The van has 900 miles on it, that cut the price down a bit, but it was still close to $20,000. The Mansion is a Medicaid facility, the Mansion does not get reimbursed in any way for gas, maintenance or staff hours driving, they have a full-time transportation aide. Some of the residents get regular chemotherapy treatments, and the staffers will often use their own cars.

The Mansion is an especially caring place, the staff are like little kids going to the circus, they are full of plans, their range has just been greatly expanded.

I’ve been invited to photograph the performance of a seven-member Mansion chorale at a Salem, N.Y., women’s group in April. Can’t wait, everyone is going in the van. I think Red is coming also.

I can’t thank you enough for the generous and heartfelt way in which you responded to this request, the existing van was going to pieces, it had been driven into the ground. You are an Army Of Good.