Veterans Park Unites Community After $200K Fire Loss

When flames tore through Forget-Me-Not Veterans Park in February, destroying laundry facilities and gutting a community church, residents facing homelessness and PTSD did something remarkable. They grabbed garden hoses and fought back together.

The fire caused $200,000 in damage to the New Mexico shelter, wiping out washers, dryers, showers, toilets, and the interior of the community church. For co-founders Daun and Darlene Medaris, who built everything through private donations and volunteer labor, the loss felt crushing.

But not a single person was injured. The tiny homes where veterans live were completely spared.

That miracle came from unlikely heroes. Darlene Medaris, a retired fire chief, rallied residents to defend their community using whatever they could find.

"For the first time, it wasn't just individuals living in separate spaces," she said. "It became a community with a shared purpose."

Veterans who typically struggled to connect worked side by side, using garden hoses when proper equipment wasn't available. They contained the spread and saved the rest of the property.

The Ripple Effect

The unity forged in those flames hasn't faded. In seven weeks, the park has received two donated modular buildings to replace what burned, one for laundry and showers, another for a new church at a reduced cost.

Volunteers and donors continue stepping up, but the June 1 deadline to restore full operations requires more help. The park needs shower stalls, toilets, sinks, plumbing supplies, paint, and skilled tradespeople like plumbers and carpenters.

"We've had a great response so far, but there's still a long list of things to do," Daun Medaris said. "Anything from building materials to skilled labor can make a difference."

For Daun, watching veterans who had lived isolated for three years suddenly unite revealed the park's true mission. "Yes, it was a loss," he said. "But seeing everyone come together the way they did, that was something we hadn't seen in three years. In that way, it turned into a blessing."

Anyone wanting to donate materials or volunteer time can contact Daun Medaris at 575-693-7294 to help finish what the community started.