CARIBOU, Maine — United Veterans of Maine has invited the general public to attend the grand opening of the United Veterans of Maine Central Office building at 358 Washburn Street in Caribou, Saturday, April 15 at 1 pm.
The organization has completed renovations through volunteer support and fund raising. The building will serve as permanent office space for the veterans organization and will feature space for counseling services, as well as a conference room for non-profit organizations. John Deveau, United Veterans of Maine president, said the building has come a long way thanks to the support of many volunteers and donors.
“This has been a labor of love,” said Deveau who has lead the effort to establish a homeless shelter for veterans on the same property. “We have hundreds of hours of volunteer time including the help of students from Loring Job Corps. We could not have done the project without them.”
The grand opening event will feature special presentations and family members of Ed Dahlgren and Donald Skidgel will attend. Both men received the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroic service to their nation, Dahlgren in WWII and Skidgel in Vietnam.
The United Veterans of Maine will soon construct five cabins for homeless veterans and will operate five greenhouses at the former site of Phil’s Florist. The organization is dedicating the project to Dahlgren and Skidgel. The project will establish a business that grows and sells produce and uses any profits to support the operations of the homeless shelter. Deveau said the need for the shelter continues to grow.
“Already this year we have been contacted by 12 veterans in need of homeless services. We have worked with other agencies to get support for these veterans and we hope to be able to offer shelter at our new site beginning July 1 of this year”.
Cary Medical Center CEO, Kris Doody, RN, will speak at the opening ceremony. Doody’s father, the late Lee A. Doody, Jr., retired from the National Guard as a lieutenant colonel and was the longest standing commander of the 152nd Field Artillery Battalion. Her brother, Wilbur Doody, served in Vietnam. She has earned national recognition for her work to secure local health care services for veterans in Aroostook County. She also volunteered at a recent telethon that raised more than $45,000 for the homeless project.
“There is clearly a need for a homeless shelter that will serve veterans here in Aroostook County, and we have been pleased to be part of the effort. This will be a great benefit to homeless veterans here in the County and for those who may be suffering from PTSD, substance abuse issues or other mental health problems,” said Doody.
The group still needs funds to complete the project. People can make tax deductible donations at https://www.gofundme.com/uvmproject-16. For more information call the United Veterans of Maine at 207-358-4647.
