From warehouse workers to the company president, Triumph Aerospace Systems employees braved the heat last week to facilitate a cabin construction project at H3 Horses Healing Heroes, a nonprofit organization located outside of Monroe.
H3 Horses Healing Heroes is a 501(C)3 agency dedicated to using equine-assisted therapy to help United States veterans dealing with issues like anxiety, post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.
President Arleen Gibson operates H3 with her sister, Joyce Coombs, out of her home, which is located north of U.S. 2, between Monroe and Sultan. Her 50-acre property includes a large deck, Japanese koi pond, garden area, gazebo, a barn, and of course, her fleet of horses.
Ongoing since 2011, the Triumph Wings program involves contributing to a community, school or nonprofit organization with outreach or some form of volunteerism.
Triumph Aerospace Systems chose H3 for its Wings program based on a recommendation from employee, Joe Stone Jr., a U.S. Army veteran who lives in Sultan and thought H3 made a perfect candidate.
A group of 25 volunteers showed up at Gibson's property at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13. They spent the day cleaning tack, scrubbing saddles, sorting wood and putting the final touches on a cabin structure that had been sitting unfinished on the property.
Volunteers installed doors, windows, siding and constructed a deck on the cabin. They also completed some of the inside finish work and built the foundation for an additional cabin.
Triumph provided Gibson with a $5,000 grant to purchase materials, which included wood, drywall, insulation, nails, cedar siding, wall-board material and a solar panel kit.
Gibson's mission to help veterans struck a chord with Triumph employees, many of whom have served in the military.
"It just touched all of our hearts,GÇ¥ said Triumph Human Resources Director Sharon Black. "It brings tears to all of our eyes, and we all had such an incredible, meaningful time today.GÇ¥
Company president Don Fowler joined in the effort, swinging his hammer in the 80-degree heat, right alongside everyone else.
Gibson conceptualized her cabin project early last year, when she discovered that the Volunteers of America Sky Valley Services Center in Sultan would be tearing down 10 small cabins on its property to make way for the new Sultan Boys & Girls Club. She began to visualize a way to incorporate the structures into the equine-assisted psychotherapy program she provides at her facility.
Gibson felt the cabins would enhance her ability to help transitioning veterans recently returned from deployment.
She inspired a massive community effort. Volunteers dismantled the VOA cabins in a matter of two days, using cranes, an excavator, a dump truck and several flatbed vehicles. All the materials were loaded up and brought to Gibson's property, where they've been waiting for somebody like Triumph to come along and carry the project forward.
"I hardly could sleep last night knowing they were coming out to further this,GÇ¥ Gibson said. "I'm really excited.GÇ¥
Gibson hopes to eventually have around eight small cabins that veterans can use while receiving therapy at her facility. The cabins will be available for use by veterans and their families for weekend getaways or by veterans who need a solitary place to decompress.
Triumph plans to come back to H3 next month during United Way's Day of Caring event, so employees can continue to further the cabin project.
For more information on H3 Horses Healing Heroes, visit the Facebook page
Photo by Chris Hendrickson Triumph Aerospace Systems employees tackle the heat and cabin construction at H3 Horses Healing Heroes, a nonprofit that uses equines in therapy for veterans. Triumph employees will return next month to do more work.
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