Clay County veterans non-profit to hold open house
LINEVILLE — Kathleen Saucier and Dave Flounders are spreading the word about a special event. The couple, a married team who founded and who direct their nonprofit, Samson's Strength Sustainable Veterans Project Inc., are planning an open house Friday and Saturday, April 25–26. A free chili lunch will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, welcomes the public to tour transitional housing under construction for veterans healing from trauma, PTSD or other issues related to military service.
The tour will also include visits to the equine barn and aquaponics facility.
When guests arrive, they will begin their tour at the five veterans houses located at 56253 Alabama 49, four miles south of Lineville.
'We are pretty excited about the open house,' said Saucier. 'A lot of people have been hearing our story. We have shared our mission with many organizations over the last few months, including Auburn University, Jacksonville State University, the Central Alabama Veterans Collaborative and the House Standing Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs.'
The couple has invited members of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, local legislators, Clay County commissioners and members of several Anniston-area civic and veterans organizations.
During the tour, Saucier hopes to highlight the benefits of horse-and-human bonding through Equine Empowered Therapy. Flounders will be on-site to lead tours of the homes.
Flounders and Saucier said they still need help before veterans can begin living on the property.
'We are still doing everything we can to get volunteers to complete this phase,' Flounders said.
The couple is hopeful the public will see the progress that has been made over the six years since they purchased the land.
Visitors will also see the aquaponics project, which includes specialized tanks for fish that provide nutrients to support plant growth. A grant from the Coosa Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council made the project possible. The greenhouse will grow various green and red vegetables once the system is fully operational. Potatoes and onions have already been planted in the greenhouse soil.
The couple encourages the public to visit https://sssvp.org to learn more about SSSVP's mission and upcoming events during May, which is Mental Health Month. As part of the month's activities, the equine project will participate in 'Horses for Mental Health: As Seen Through Horses.' The program includes the premiere of the film Rescued Hearts. Locations for the May 10 screening will be announced.
The couple's work is personal. Flounders, who served in both the Navy and Army from 1983 to 2014 and was deployed in four military operations, suffers from PTSD. He found peace through an equine therapy program after retirement.
For Saucier, the mission honors her father, Edward James Halbach, a World War II Navy veteran who passed away as the couple began envisioning a transitional village for veterans. An inheritance from Halbach allowed them to purchase 16 acres for the six homes and a communal kitchen.
'I believe my father is looking down on us with great pride in how Dave and I have incorporated these values into our mission at SSSVP,' Saucier said.
For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Dave at 860-861-6747 or email dave@sssvp.org.
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