FIDDLER’S GREEN in Corunna will reopen the first of September with a grand reopening planned for Sept. 11. Shown are (from left) Robert Haun, marketing and sales director, with Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Director Zaneta Adams and Jessica Green, manager of the DMVA Food 4 Veterans program.
Fiddler’s Green is an independent housing facility for veterans.
(Independent Photo/Karen Mead-Elford)
After several hurdles including the pandemic, Fiddler’s Green organizers are looking to a brighter future, planning for a grand reopening on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 11 at the Norton Street location in Corunna.
Applications are already being accepted and residents will begin to move in as early as Sept. 1.
On Friday, Aug. 6, Fiddler’s Green Marketing and Sales Director Robert Haun shared the organization is “looking forward to providing a safe, healthy, carefree and affordable living environment to veterans.” He mentioned a few renovations that have been underway to create a “more welcoming, more calming” homestyle atmosphere, pleased that some of the previous tenants will be returning for the first phase of the new opening. The long-term goal is to house up to 120 veterans at the facility, which had temporarily closed in January because of COVID-19 and alleged actions taken under a previous director.
“We want to be a resource, as well,” Haun said. “We’re not just four walls and a roof.” He explained how he has worked to develop a number of relationships with various resources to assist veterans, ensuring they have connections to meet their needs.
The grand reopening event is planned for Patriot’s Day and will include a memorial service by Owosso VFW Chaplain David Dumont and a Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting. Guided tours and light refreshments will be available, too. The public is welcome to attend.
Zaneta Adams, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Director, shared she will be unable to attend the grand reopening due to another commitment, but she is excited to see the facility open. “One of the things that is important to me in Michigan is that we have ample resources for veterans,” she said. “That is important across the state and knowing there is a new place available where veterans can call home, it is great. We’re looking forward to sharing this resource from our service center. So, this is another resource we can add to our toolbox in order to help veterans and their families.”
Jessica Green, manager of the DMVA Food 4 Veterans program, explained how she is pleased that so many veterans will have access to necessary resources through the facility. Green, herself a veteran on active duty, has been involved in a number of community programs to help care for and honor veterans – most recently a coordinated cleanup effort at Hillcrest Cemetery in Owosso, restoring headstones for veterans.
Veterans housed at the Corunna facility will enjoy 24-hour supervision, three meals daily, laundry facilities, private and/or semi-private rooms, a barrier free layout, planned social activities, transportation, case management, free WiFi – and more.
Fiddler’s Green first opened in Corunna at the former Pleasant View location in 2019. More information can be found at fiddlergreenllc.com.
