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About Walking Down Ranch Veterans Village LakesideIn 2012 Walking Down Ranch was a dream of Maggie Heath, Alfred, and Ann Avenenti. We assisted Veterans at the Concho Food Bank. We successfully received our 501(C)(3) in 2014. We tried to clean and build on a property way out in a rural area unsuccessfully.
Then in late 2017, the East Mesa Fire Fighter Charities offered WDR the Old Rainbow Lodge. Consisting of 18 cabins, an old house (now the office), and our new veteran Outreach Center, formerly our first Thrift Store. All cabins were vandalized and had to be stripped, cleaned, and refurbished, new windows, cabinet repairs, stoves, refrigerators, screen doors, and exterior doors were repaired and furnished. We started one cabin at a time to complete the work. All new water main and sewer lines were completed, a new septic system was installed, and all cabins were renovated and livable. |
With all of this, by October 2021, we had 178 Veterans and their families transition in our program. Hundreds of pounds of food have been distributed. And the Veterans Village mortgage was paid off in 3 years and ten months.
Since then, our statutory legal agent has secured the property to be Veteran Transitional housing forever.
Providing a safe place for our White Mountain Veterans.
There are 18 cabins for Veteran housing. A laundry, and Veteran Outreach Center and office are being utilized for the benefit of our Veterans and located on 3.66 acres in beautiful Lakeside, Arizona. In the midst of City accommodations, hospitals, shopping, library, schools, V.A. services, and lots of community activities.
Over 2200 Veterans and families have been served with housing, food Boxes, furnishings, clothing, and assistance after house fires and the loss of family members. Eleven pieces of property have been given to Veterans to rebuild their lives.
Applications must be acquired and submitted for housing assistance. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10-4 by appointment.
Call Victoria at (928)-243-4102
Serving Veterans is what we do. We offer a hand up…Not a handout. Veteran guests are required to assist on property 20 hours a week in lieu of rent, utilities, and necessities for housing. They are trained in landscaping, culinary arts, property maintenance, construction, painting, and thrift store activities.
Since then, our statutory legal agent has secured the property to be Veteran Transitional housing forever.
Providing a safe place for our White Mountain Veterans.
There are 18 cabins for Veteran housing. A laundry, and Veteran Outreach Center and office are being utilized for the benefit of our Veterans and located on 3.66 acres in beautiful Lakeside, Arizona. In the midst of City accommodations, hospitals, shopping, library, schools, V.A. services, and lots of community activities.
Over 2200 Veterans and families have been served with housing, food Boxes, furnishings, clothing, and assistance after house fires and the loss of family members. Eleven pieces of property have been given to Veterans to rebuild their lives.
Applications must be acquired and submitted for housing assistance. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10-4 by appointment.
Call Victoria at (928)-243-4102
Serving Veterans is what we do. We offer a hand up…Not a handout. Veteran guests are required to assist on property 20 hours a week in lieu of rent, utilities, and necessities for housing. They are trained in landscaping, culinary arts, property maintenance, construction, painting, and thrift store activities.
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Serving Veterans is What We Do
Walking Down Ranch, Veterans Village-Lakeside is a unique community offering Veterans and their families an array of services including transitional housing, food, clothes, utilities, medical transportation, phones, medications, and holiday boxes.
Since being recognized as a 501(c)(3) in 2014, we have assisted more than 650 Veterans in the White Mountains.
Residents of Walking Down Ranch, Veterans Village-Lakeside, have an opportunity to learn valuable
vocational skills; skills that can lead to meaningful employment.
The majority of the Veterans residing in Veterans Village, will take an active role in the upkeep and maintenance of their
cabin as well as their community. Landscaping, repair, retail management, and the culinary arts are just a few of the skills at
which Veterans can choose to become proficient while residing at Veterans Village.
Veterans Village-Lakeside subscribes to the saying, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime.”
If you are a business owner interested in providing a job or an internship to a qualified veteran,
please contact Victoria Walker at (928)-243-4102
Since being recognized as a 501(c)(3) in 2014, we have assisted more than 650 Veterans in the White Mountains.
Residents of Walking Down Ranch, Veterans Village-Lakeside, have an opportunity to learn valuable
vocational skills; skills that can lead to meaningful employment.
The majority of the Veterans residing in Veterans Village, will take an active role in the upkeep and maintenance of their
cabin as well as their community. Landscaping, repair, retail management, and the culinary arts are just a few of the skills at
which Veterans can choose to become proficient while residing at Veterans Village.
Veterans Village-Lakeside subscribes to the saying, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime.”
If you are a business owner interested in providing a job or an internship to a qualified veteran,
please contact Victoria Walker at (928)-243-4102
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Thank you, Mike Taylor, Dawn Moreno, John Hutchens, and Clinton Misner from the Show Low Home Depot!
Their donation of the Bulldog and check to Veterans Village is greatly appreciated. You’re a super team! |
Letters & COmments
"YOU SAVED MY LIFE"
Good morning Mr. King. I spoke to Pierre at H.O.G. yesterday. My name is Douglas L. McWeeny IV. I am a HOG member on and off for the last 40 years. I am retired now from the US Army where I served as an Aviation Crew Member overseas in Mannheim and Heidelberg, Germany. I was also a Union Film and Good morning Mr. King.
I spoke to Pierre at H.O.G. yesterday. My name is Douglas L. McWeeny IV. I am a HOG member on and off for the last 40 years. I am retired now from the US Army where I served as an Aviation Crew Member overseas in Mannheim and Heidelberg, Germany. I was also a Union Film and Video Tape Editor in Hollywood for many years at Universal Studios Post Production Departments.
I am asking you to review and hopefully publish it in the next “Enthusiast” Magazine to help all my HOG friends and Harley Davidson rider brothers and sisters and those who are Veterans celebrate the WHITE MOUNTAIN VETERANS TRIBUTE motorcycle run and rally, September 3 – 5 in Show Low Arizona at the Airport. It will be a ride and fly-in rally and all proceeds will go to supporting Veteran’s WALKING DOWN RANCH VETERANS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING in Lakeside, Arizona. AKA VETERAN’S VILLAGE.
Veterans Village is a 25-cabin converted resort that is supported by private benefactors and big-box companies like Home Depot. I came across it two going on three years ago. I had just retired and I moved up to Concho outside of Show Low to my acre and quarter property that I have owned for 15 years and camped on coming up on weekends year-round on my Harley and my 4×4 pickup to enjoy the peace and quiet and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and establish myself in a community of 1300 people and live off-grid into my retirement and live here full time for the rest of my days. I finished my move to become a retired person on my property and a permanent resident in October 2018.
I figured I had plenty of time before the snow came to get set up for winter. But winter came early and the cold with it. I mentioned I live off-grid. I have to run a generator for electricity and use propane for heat and I haul my own water and I live full time in my 32-foot Midas Palm Beach Class A motor home. I planned my budget around the weather. So when IRS and VA started garnishing my Social Security benefits I was in financial trouble, to say the least.
After selling all my high-dollar possessions I was still struggling to make ends meet when I saw this beautiful log cabin main building with beautiful log cabins surrounding it and the name on the road sign VETERANS VILLAGE WALKING DOWN RANCH on the front lawn. So something guided me into the driveway and I parked and went inside. It was beautiful like coming home.
I called out to see if anyone was there. I heard the voice of a woman telling me to come on in her office. She reached out to shake my hand and introduced herself. “Hi, my name is Maggie Heath welcome to Walking Down Ranch Veterans Village. I told her my story and low and behold she invited me to move in one of the cabins until the winter was over. She saved my life!
She also helped me get my VA DISABILITY BENEFITS that I had been denied since getting out of the military in 1992. She also helped me get my garnishments stopped. So by the time that spring came I was getting my VA DISABILITY BENEFITS and my garnishments stopped and I even saved my FLHTC 2010 ELECTRA GLIDE CLASSIC Harley Davidson from repo and I was able to live and not just survive on SSI and VA disability.
Their goal at Veterans Village Walking Down Ranch is to rehab veterans’ lives and get them back on their feet into jobs and homes and assist them to get their VA and SSI benefits if they can’t work any longer or are retired, homeless, or jobless. So they are my family now.
They also give veterans who are terminally ill a comfortable beautiful log cabin as their final resting place. I knew more than a few great men and veterans who have passed on and a few were H.O.G. members and riding up until their last days. May they all rest in peace!
So please all my H.O.G. member brothers and sisters, please check out THE INAUGURAL WHITE MOUNATIN VETERANS TRIBUTE MOTORCYCLE RUN RALLY and FLY-IN at the SHOW LOW AIRPORT on September 3, 4, 5th — there will be loads of events, and all are listed on the website www.walkingdownranch.org .All the proceeds go to the homeless shelter and housing and feeding veterans in transition.
Thank you in advance for all your help !!!! Your humble servant and grateful veteran and fellow H.O.G. member,
Doug McWeeny