Volunteers create outdoor therapy spaces at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The Home Depot Foundation partnered with Colorado Springs nonprofits to revamp eight outdoor therapy spaces for veterans in need of housing support, veteran benefits, counseling, and support groups at the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center.

The project was held on Tuesday, August 29, and more than 300 volunteers led by Team Depot, Operation TBI Freedom, Next Chapter, and Spark the Change Colorado all worked to enhance Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center’s outdoor spaces. 

Volunteers constructed several gathering spaces for veterans waiting for services, complete with new seating and pergolas, landscaping and a mural, and customized dog beds for service animals.

According to the Home Depot Foundation, Colorado Springs is home to the highest concentration of military veterans in the country, and 17% of adults in the area have served in the military. 

At Mt. Carmel Veterans’ Center, more than 88,000 veterans are routinely served through the organization’s southern Colorado hub. Sean Sindler is one of those veterans. 

“I retired from the Air Force in 2019 and came to Mt. Carmel in 2020 needing help with my transition to the civilian workforce,” Sean said. “Transition was very difficult for me, as it is for almost every service member. Mt. Carmel gave such significant and consistent support, both with mental health and job seeking, that allowed me to get certification training classes, learn what jobs were available, and be my best self.” 

Since 2011, The Home Depot Foundation has invested more than $475 million in veteran causes and improved more than 55,000 veteran homes and facilities.

The Mt. Carmel Service Center is located at 530 Communication Cir.