Over the 4th of July weekend, members of our Virginia landscape construction team volunteered their time to install a new brick walkway for residents of the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run in Haymarket, VA, an establishment run by Serving Our Willing Warriors (SOWW).
Pictured left to right: George Fuentes, Kevin Johnson, Ashley Farmer, Juan Bautista, Efrain Zavala, Rodrigo Acosta, Jose Lopez
SOWW is a non-profit organization which aims to provide a “home away from home” for our nation’s wounded, ill and injured warriors seeking treatment at nearby military hospitals. At the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run, recovering warriors and their families are invited to spend three to seven day retreats surrounded by an appreciative community that provides activities, special events, camaraderie and relaxation for their honored guests. Their intent is “to provide our Warriors and their Families with a much-needed break from the hospital environments where they can reconnect, reflect and renew in a peaceful, family home prepared just for them.”
The team excavated and laid a brick pathway in the serenity garden to give visitors easier access to the seating areas near the water fountain. The center bricks pay tribute to the individuals and organizations that have donated to SOWW.
Summer intern Ashley Farmer, a Virginia Tech student majoring in building construction, planned and organized the community service project. “While completing this service project as an intern, I was able to take an educational approach that combined learning objectives with community service,” said Ashley. “Being able to take the time to prepare the behind the scenes work for a job really directed me to broaden my perspective towards the process of landscaping. I thoroughly enjoyed working with John Dominick [SOWW founder] and being able to Serve Our Willing Warriors.”
Pictured left to right: George Fuentes, Ashley Farmer, Efrain Zavala, Jose Lopez, John Dominick
Ruppert Landscape donates five percent of annual profits to community service projects, two percent of which is managed directly out of our local branches to ensure that employees are directly involved in the projects. For more information on our charitable giving, visit our Philanthropy page.