On Saturday, August 1st Rebuilding Together Orange County, the nonprofit I'm serving my AmeriCorps term with, held one of their rebuild projects at the Veterans First transitional living facility. Veterans First is the only nonprofit in Orange County, CA offering veterans a wide range of services: case management, counseling, substance abuse programs, job training and placement and homeless shelter.

120 volunteers came together on Saturday, August 1st to spruce up the 1.5 acre, 3 home, 30-bed facility. Each of the 3 homes and food pantry/storage space got a fresh coat of paint-transforming the chipped and faded pink to a new cream color with dark trim.

Veterans First graciously hosted a lunch time barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers and more. After lunch, volunteers worked hard in the hot Southern California sun to landscape, trim, mow and cut the grounds. The overgrown ivy along the drive way was in desperate need of trimming and a few overgrown trees were cut back. The veterans who were able to, worked right along side the volunteers to make the day a great success. One large dumpster was filled to the brim with trash and debris.

Veterans First Executive Director, Deanne Tate, was moved to tears thanking volunteers for volunteering and spending the day helping veterans in need. It was an honor to participate on this rebuild project and help honor the service men and women who have given so much to our country.