On Saturday, April 25, during the annual Christmas in April program, employees from the Charles County Detention Center (CCDC) cleaned out and spruced up the aging yard of a 91-year-old Charles County woman – the widow of a World War II veteran who fought in Iwo Jima. The woman, whose husband died when he was 52-years-old, has spent the last several years of her life sitting on a porch, overlooking a garden that was once filled with bright flowers and blooming shrubs. It is there, the woman told corrections staff, where she reflects about her husband. The woman’s story touched the hearts of corrections personnel who quickly selected her house as their Christmas in April project.
Corrections Officer First Class, Michael Keeler, selected the woman’s house from a list of homes provided by Christmas in April after noticing the recipient’s husband was a veteran. Keeler is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps who served with the Marines for four years. After an honorable discharge, Keeler joined the CCDC. “This project hit home for me, and I knew it would for several of our staff, many who are veterans,” Keeler said. “ She didn’t ask for any of this, but we felt it was the least we could do for a woman whose husband served our country.” Keeler teamed up with Jeff Merchant, Work Release Coordinator at the detention center and himself a veteran of the Air Force, and the two became House Captains. “We sent an email to the staff at the CCDC and dozens of employees signed up to help,” Merchant said.
On April 24, CFC Keeler, Merchant and Susie Rice, Director of the CCDC, purchased hundreds of bright flowers and plants including roses, azaleas and hostas to replace the overgrown vegetation and then on Saturday, corrections officers, commanders, nurses, civilian staff and children of CCDC employees arrived and began cleaning. They painted several exterior awnings, repaired unsteady steps, and replaced an unstable guard rail. They even added their own touches by purchasing two bird houses and repairing and painting other pieces of art and pottery they found in the yard.
“We wanted to make her yard pretty because we learned she enjoys looking at her garden,” said Rice. “Since the woman’s vision is starting to diminish, we selected flowers and plants that are low maintenance with bright bold colors. We prepared her flower beds so that most of the plants will come back every year. She also had a lot of beautiful flowering pots and we filled those and put them around her yard. We even planted some vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers. It’s obvious her garden is very important to her. We wanted to give her home the beauty she once maintained herself,” Rice said.
The woman and her family, who asked not to be identified, said they were overwhelmed with the volunteers’ kindness. One family member said, “This means more to our family than you will ever know. We are so grateful to the detention center staff, their families and their children who showed us they cared. We really enjoyed spending time with them. They gave our mother a little slice of heaven and, more importantly, they gave her back a garden that she so enjoyed.”
