Rosehill Gardens is all about giving back to those who serve in the military and this year, they showed it in a big way! In February, they kicked off a Veterans Landscape Giveaway contest in hopes of helping two Veterans by giving each of them $5000 worth of landscaping services.
People were asked to submit a photo of the veteran entering the contest and/or the yard that needed a green thumb, along with a story of when and where the person had served, and how a gift of landscaping would help them. The heartfelt stories of these heroes started coming in over the next few months and were posted in an album on Rosehill Garden’s Facebook page. People were asked to vote on which veteran they wanted to win by “liking” their favorite photo.
One story told of time spent in the Korean War while another told of experiences in WWII. What an honor to hear about their brave adventures! The two winners were announced on April 24th.
The 1st place winner was a newly married Air Force Veteran couple who finished with a whopping 618 likes and a ton of supportive comments! Andrew and Vanessa Vanden Bout Geer have been on multiple combat tours in their careers. With a new home in Kansas City, a baby on the way, and both going to school, their landscaping has had to wait until funds are available….until now! The only investment they had made was in cleaning up the back yard and fencing it in for their two rescue dogs. They are so excited to create a welcoming front yard on their corner lot!
The 2nd place winner, Jim Eubanks, came in with 210 likes and several comments from friends on why he should win! He served in the U.S. Army for 26 years. When he retired, his youngest son was six years old, but Jim had only been home for three of those years. He served twice overseas before he humbly retired. In his honor, his wife purchased a flag pole and friends helped install it in their front yard, but that’s all there is. There is no landscaping around it and the light to the flag broke a couple of years ago. They are ecstatic to have landscaping done around the flag pole and front steps that he can be proud of!
