'First of its kind' Rupert Huse Veteran Center opens in Greenville. Here's what to know.
Veterans, families and friends gathered together Wednesday, April 19, to support the completion of a vision ten years in the making when Upstate Warrior Solution held a ribbon cutting for the new Rupert Huse Veteran Center.
The $5 million capital campaign project is named in honor of the late Rupert Huse, father of City Councilperson Dorothy Dowe. Huse was a member of the Army Reserves from 1958-1964. Dowes told audiences about another side of her father ― being a business and family man.
"My father taught me how to paint apartments, how to swing a hammer and how to pull out nails when you don't swing the hammer correctly. My father taught me about amortization, reverse purchase mortgages, lease agreements and rent roll." she said. "This is the same father who taught me how to ride a bike."
Gov. Henry McMaster, South Carolina Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Todd McCaffrey, Greenville Mayor Knox White, along with other state and local officials, were on hand for the event.
The center, located on 770 Pelham Road in Greenville, is the first of its kind in the region, according to UWS. The hub will provide veterans, first responders and families with resources and services. It will provide free holistic case management services and serve veterans from every era and branch, regardless of discharge status.
"Access to holistic, supportive services is crucial for preventing veteran and first responder suicide," said Charlie Hall, UWS President. "The RHVC brings together a host of services under one roof to provide that wrap-around care. Through our collaboration, this center will literally save lives."
The two-story, 40,000-square-foot center was made possible by the collaboration among public, private and nonprofit partners, including the Alston Wilkes Society, Veterans United Home Loans and Upstate Young Marines.
Through the RHVC, veterans will gain direct access to veteran centric-tenants and broader access to a network of community partners.
"We want to help connect you to a network of veterans to help build that camaraderie that sometimes gets lost when leaving the military." said Catherine Pelicano, Director of Marketing and Communications at UWS.
Randy England, President of Vets Helping Vets and a Navy veteran, talked about the importance of building bonds and friendships.
"With veterans, it's about camaraderie. When you go through good times and bad times through war, you help each other and get close to each other. And this is a place where people can come and talk about their issues," England said. "I mean, veterans love veterans. They want to be around veterans."
The center will house resources for physical and mental health and assist with workforce development and housing stability. It will also offer legal and entrepreneurship support.
"If there's a 20-year retiree who's getting out and says 'Hey, I want to start my own consulting business, as a veteran, how do I start?' We've got resources for that as well," Pelicano said.
The center will also offer a CrossFit gym and an in-building creative art studio for therapeutic art. The art outlet will help veterans and first-responders cope with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Poet Glenis Redmond, a former Army Reservist, moved the audience at the ceremony with her poem, "At the Center." She talked about the importance of art in healing.
"I'll be teaching a poetry workshop in May (at the RHVC) for veterans. I'm always about the healing arts to help people mend their lives and figure out the next step." she said. "There's a therapy component. People can go there to process their emotions and reflect."
Redmond comes from a military family. Her late father, Johnny Clifton Redmond, was a sergeant who served 21 years in the Air Force. Her mother, Jeanette, was a seamstress at Shaw Air Force Base, where she met Redmond.
When describing the RHVC, Redmond draws parallels between the building and her mother's craft.
"It's like what she pieces together and patches," she said. "We have so many people here from all walks of life. And that stitching in that building is what's most important in these times."
The RHVC is now open. Its hours of operation are from Monday-Friday from 7a.m.-7p.m. For more information, call 864-413-8546.
Nina Tran covers trending topics for the Greenville News. Reach her via email @ntran@gannett.com. Find her on Twitter @NinaLTran.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greenville's Rupert Huse Veteran Center is now open. What to know.
