National nonprofit Saluting Branches used its annual day of service to continue to help the Mississippi State Veterans Home recover from Winter Storm Fern on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The organization is dedicated to honoring men and women who served in the U.S. military, and this was its second annual day of service in Oxford.
This year, the day of service took place at 100 locations across the nation with over 5,000 volunteers.
In Oxford, the day of service was primarily dedicated to clearing the remaining debris from Winter Storm Fern. In addition to community volunteers, members of various University of Mississippi student organizations participated, including Air Force and Navy ROTC, Beta Theta Pi, Hill Country Roots and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.
The Lafayette County Master Gardeners Association, one of this year’s volunteer groups, has been cleaning the grounds since spring. The association used the annual event to make major progress in returning the grounds to normal.
The association spearheaded most of the day’s work with assistance from the Professional Arborist Association of Mississippi. Site leader Tympel Harrison of the Mississippi Forestry Commission said that planning for the event took place weeks in advance. He also discussed further plans for repair.
“There were a lot of things that needed to be taken care of,” Harrison said. “The facility lost trees due to the ice storm, and they were removed, so we’re planning to prepare sites to replace them. Those trees have been donated, and we’ll plant them later in the winter.”
Debbie Shaner, a returning volunteer from the association, said that she enjoys seeing the effect that the volunteers’ work has on the veterans.
“At the end of the day last year, the veterans came out, and they’re so appreciative,” Shaner said. “We just love seeing them be able to get outside and get some fresh air and enjoy the view. This work is just a lot of fun. … It’s for the love of making sure that these guys and girls have a wonderful courtyard and flowers to come out to. … We get to give them something to look forward to.”
Zeke Daffern, a sophomore business management major from Poplarville, Miss., returned to the annual opportunity with Beta Theta Pi. As a returner, he felt more prepared this time.
“It’s definitely more fun than last year, because last year was the first time we heard about it, so coming in, we didn’t know much,” Daffern said. “We just knew it was a veterans home that needed some help picking up, and now, coming here a year later, it looks a lot better, and we’re definitely proud of what we did last year.”
Saluting Branches’ work varies from year to year but typically involves pruning, planting and removing tree branches from the designated locations. As a returning volunteer, addressing the damage from Winter Storm Fern meant a lot to Daffern.
“What kind of sucks is that the ice storm blew, like, half of our hard work away,” Daffern said. “Trees were knocked down, so we helped mulch all the trees and plant new flowers in the garden they have. It still feels great to come back and look at the progress.”
