Raymond Bates was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia. Married 30 years, he is the proud father of three sons, one grandson and another grandchild on the way. He loves riding motorcycles and fishing. He entered military in 1984 and was a member of the elite 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, KY. Discharged in 1988 after being seriously injured, Ray is a member of the Disabled American Veterans and is also a former Commander of the Sons of The American Legion Post 133.
In 1993, Mr. Bates started working for the PA Department of Labor and Industry. There, he met Richard Montgomery, a fellow civil servant and brother of the 101st Airborne Division. Ray joined Rich in his dream of stopping the violence on our streets in Philadelphia. Rich taught him about helping families who had lost a child and to do whatever it takes to get them the support they need.
Together, they joined with other local Veterans to take back the drug corners and stop the violence with the program, Veterans Against Drugs (VAD).
In 1993, Mr. Montgomery approached PA Academy of Fine Art’s Judy Ringold about organizing artists to paint portraits of children who had been innocent victims of violence. Their initiative, Lost Dreams on Canvas, preserves the memories of children who were innocent victims of violence. In January 2002, Richard Montgomery lost his battle with Agent Orange. At Rich’s deathbed, Ray promised that VAD would continue. As co-founder of the program, Ray is proud that VAD is now running in 38 states across the country.
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Another project that I have been active in is the Philadelphia Stand Down program since 1994, where we help homeless veterans get off the streets. With the current conflicts overseas winding down, we find that our soldiers are not adapting to civilian life very well. Homelessness for veterans across the country is at it’s highest levels ever and we as a people need to do something about it.
Currently, Mr. Bates is a local Veterans Representative for the PA Department of Labor in Philadelphia. His work includes meeting Veterans at military bases when they first arrive home to brief them on available services. Every Veteran that applies for unemployment is mailed a personal letter, asking them to come see Ray for help with resumes, job searching, schooling or anything else they might need to ease their way back into home life.
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