The public is invited to the Grand Opening of the United Veterans of Maine Central Office building at 358 Washburn Street in Caribou, Saturday, April 15th at 1:00 pm.

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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 that the building has really come a long way thanks to the support of so 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 will be attended by family members of Ed Dahlgren and Donald Skidgel.  Both men were awarded 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 5 cabins for homeless Veterans and will operate five greenhouses at the former site of Phil’s Florist.  The project will be dedicated to Dahlgren and Skidgel.  The goal is to establish a business growing and selling produce and using any profits to support the operations of the Homeless Shelter.  Deveau said that the need for the shelter is continuing to grow.

Cary Medical Center CEO, Kris Doody, RN, will be one of the speakers at the opening Ceremony.  Doody’s father, the late, Lee A. Doody, Jr., retired from the National Guard as a Lt. 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 the recent WAGM Television Telethon that raised more than $45,000 for the homeless project.

Plans are now underway to begin construction of cottages that will provide transitional housing for Veterans. Once stabilized the Veteran will receive a variety of support services and will receive job training to work in the greenhouses.

Funds are still needed to complete the project.  Tax Deductible donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/uvmproject-16.  For more information call the United Veterans of Maine at 207-358-4647.

This information was submitted to us as part of a press release. If you would like to share your community news or event with our audience, please email newspi@townsquaremedia.com.

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