Randy Boyer loves tinkering with pieces and parts to get things working. So when someone didn’t have a way to start up a scooter, they turned to the master locksmith for help.

  • Everyday Hero Randy Boyer refurbishes motorized scooters
  • Boyer works for Troops R US, a Deltona nonprofit group
  • His skills give independence to vets who have difficulty getting around

“They said we have this scooter, and it doesn’t have keys,” Boyer said.

Boyer got the scooter working again, and since then, he’s worked on several to get them up and running. He’s part of Troops R US, a Deltona nonprofit group that takes in used motorized wheelchairs from care facilities that can’t turn them over to other patients.

“Most of the nursing homes and hospitals do not have the authority to do that. They can’t for liability issues,” said Jason Davis, Chairman and President of Volusia County Troops R US. “So what we do is go to the local nursing homes and hospitals and say, 'If you’ve got one, call us and we’ll come and get it.' ”

In early August, Boyer got another scooter from a private donor. He also got that one working again.

“Anything I can do to help with them, I’m glad to do it,” Boyer said.

The group then gave the scooter to Wayne Howard, a U.S. Navy veteran.

“Thank you. This will make everything easier on me,” Howard said.

Howard never expected it.

“Honestly I thought once we came home, we’d get forgotten,” Howard said. “It’s a good feeling. It makes you warm inside to know you’re not forgotten.”

“When they came home from the service and thought that they were now injured and wouldn’t be able to do anything, now we’ve given them a chance to now be able to get out,” Boyer said. “And that’s where it’s at.”

“This will relieve a lot of pain, make it a lot simpler to get around,” Howard said.

Boyer is working on several more donated scooters. Troops R US hopes to raise enough money to build homes for veterans as well.

“This is like the greatest gift I could’ve gotten — it’s like a brand new car. I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Howard said.