Alabor of love continuesfor local San Antonio builder HuffmanDevelopments and the Board of Directors atReturning Heroes Home, Inc. (RHH). Whatbegan as a dream to provide a larger spacefor the Warrior and Family Support Center(WFSC) became a reality as the doors to thenew 12,000 square foot Center opened onDecember 1, 2008. The facility serves the morethan 600 outpatient wounded and the familieswho support them out at Fort Sam Houston,right here in the heart of San Antonio. Fourmonths following the grand opening the laborcontinues on with the second phase of theCenter, the Therapeutic Garden and RecreationArea.
The gardens and recreation area willfurther expand the primary mission of RHH,which is to provide the best possible healingenvironment for our nation’s wounded andtheir families. Phase II will provide a settingfor social and emotional healing, which isbest served outside of the sterile medicalenvironment necessary for the bodily healingof the wounded. In addition the new groundswill provide additional benefits for the lovedones and caregivers who spend months or moresupporting their wounded.
To expand the grounds RHH has engagedinternationally renowned landscape architect,Brian Bainnson, ASLA, to design the gardenareas. Mr. Bainnson is best known for hiswork with designing therapeutic hospital basedgardens. The garden located on the campus atthe Oregon Burn Center at Legacy EmmanuelHospital in Portland, Oregon was designedspecifically to accommodate the unique needsof burn patients. The garden was awarded theTherapeutic Garden Design Award from theAmerican Horticultural Therapy Association in2006. His experience with this garden as well asone designed specifically for total brain injuryand stroke victims, made him especially wellqualified for the design of the therapeutic areasin support of the WFSC.
While working through the design process,the RHH board has engaged the expertiseof individuals from WFSC, BAMC, and theCenter for the Intrepid, including medical staff,physical therapists, occupational therapists,and recreational therapists for consultationregarding the needs of the wounded and theirfamilies. The resulting input has enabled thelandscape architect to customize the gardenareas to suit the needs of WFSC and determinewhich elements would be actively used bythe therapists as part of the recovery for thewounded. The gardens will focus on respitefrom the hospital/medical environment, shadeand protection from outdoor elements, andaccessibility and therapeutic resources. Theoutdoor garden areas will provide a vitalsupplement to the state–of–the–art medicalfacilities currently located at Fort Sam Houston.
The intent of the therapeutic garden andrecreation area is to fill the varied social andemotional needs of these wounded and theirfamilies, while offering a low–tech alternativefor physically therapeutic activities. Allgarden and therapeutic areas will be accessibleby wheelchair, while providing therapeuticelements to allow those who wish to advancein their mobility skills to practice eitherwheelchair, or new prosthetic skills on variouswalking surfaces. One of the main therapeuticelements is a large multi–use pavilion whichwill typically have picnic tables for small groupgatherings or for a family picnic for thosewho are ready to venture past the immediategrounds of the new WFSC. This pavilionwill provide a place for small group concerts,with a grassy amphitheater for seating. Thepavilion was designed so that those facing thepavilion would be facing east and would havethe sun at their back in the event of an eveningperformance. Other therapeutic elementsinclude walking trails with varied surfaces, andtwo distinct fitness trails with physical fitnesselements that will be designed to accommodatethose in wheelchairs as well as those at typicalstanding heights.
The Warrior and Family Support Centerproject was spearheaded by Steve Huffman,President of Huffman Developments, and theBoard of Returning Heroes Home, Inc. Whatbegan as a request for a new gaming systemresulted in the 12,000 square foot facility. Thenew Center welcomes visitors with its home likeenvironment. As with any home the kitchen isat the heart of this one with a fresh pot of coffeealways available along with comforting food andthe camaraderie of fellow warriors and theirloved ones. The $4.5 million privately fundedbuilding boasts a large social gathering area,kitchen facilities, dining room, learning facilityfor computerized training, private counselingrooms, business center with high speed internetaccess, state of the art game room, and largeopen front and back porch areas.
When asked why Huffman Developmentsgot involved? The answer was simple for Mr.Huffman, “it was for the benefit of the men andwomen, our warriors and their families, whomade the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that wecan enjoy the liberties and freedom that we toomany times take for granted.”
To learn more about Returning HeroesHome, or to make a tax deductible donationtoward the project, visit http://www.returningheroeshome.org
