The Garden of Honor and Hope has been dedicated outside Augusta’s Veterans Villa as renovation work continues inside the facility planned to provide housing and resources for veterans experiencing homelessness. The villa is expected to open soon, though a specific opening date was not stated.
Donald Hanson, chapter commander of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, said the group has provided funding and support for the villa. He said the association wanted to contribute more than checks, describing a partnership that would include “sweat equity.” Hanson said the group plans to continue supporting the work.
Arlean Edwards, the villa’s development director, said the garden project had been years in the making. She described a place where visitors can walk and find messages they have left. A gazebo and benches are planned, she said, and the garden is intended to offer a sense of serenity.
Edwards said the organization wants to support veterans experiencing PTSD and triggers, with the goal of helping them “restore them to wholeness.”
Another campaign is planned to order memorial bricks for the garden. Hanson urged people to thank veterans. He said his own military service included 22 years and work as a medic in Iraq, and described thanking Korean War veterans and welcoming Vietnam veterans home.
Hanson said veterans’ commitment to one another continues after military service, adding that “that sense of service doesn’t go away.”
Victoria Sterling
News Now Georgia
