Florida Post 117’s Veteran’s Healing Garden will make its debut Nov. 23 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
A Florida American Legion post will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony this weekend to present to area veterans and members of the community a new garden. But the garden isn’t just meant to serve as an aesthetically beautiful addition of the post.
The main reason behind the garden’s creation is to provide a safe, calming area for veterans dealing with trauma, while tying into The American Legion’s national Be the One veteran suicide prevention program.
On Saturday, American Legion Post 117 in Palm Bay will cut the ceremony ribbon on its Veteran’s Healing Garden. The new outdoor area’s mission is to provide a place for all veterans and their families to come, share their stories and heal through therapeutic gardening.
Dana Jackson – Post 117’s adjutant and Public Relations chair and the Department of Florida’s Social Media chairman – said the idea for the garden came from American Legion Auxiliary Unit 117 member Debbie Nixon, who shared her vision with post leadership.
Jackson said the post’s executive board signed off on the idea, “just to bring a healing space to our veterans. And stomping out suicide one day at a time, because there are just too many veterans committing suicide. This will be a therapeutic garden for them to be able to come, plant some stuff (and) see the fruition of it.”
Palm Bay has approximately 12,000 veterans living there, and Jackson said the garden is an opportunity to remind the community of its role in supporting those who have worn the nation’s uniform.
“The need for community-driven initiatives like this is crucial,” Jackson said. “Community members have contributed through donations, volunteer hours, and by helping with the garden's construction, making this project a true reflection of the collective effort of our community to honor and support veteran families.
“The garden is more than just a space to plant flowers — it’s a place of solidarity, reflection, and community for both veterans and their families.”
The garden will feature dedicated planting areas, sensory gardens designed to stimulate the senses, and quiet reflection spots to help veterans unwind. Raised garden beds are in place to be accessible for veterans with mobility challenges. Plans for the future include building a greenhouse in the area, as well as installing a stone pathway to allow for wheelchair access.
Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony will include food and drinks, door prizes and a children’s planting station. But there also will be opportunities to network and share resources. Jackson will set up a table that includes information on Be The One, as well as on other suicide prevention programs.
“I thought, ‘This will be perfect, because we can tie the two together,’” Jackson said. “The mission to help stomp out suicide, and at the same time, this garden can be an outlet for veterans and their families to come and just feel the calmness of gardening. Creating something that could help them release what’s going on in their minds due to the trauma or whatever they’ve gone through.
“That’s how I wanted to be able to connect the two. They’re both to reduce suicide, reduce the rates of suicide.”
- Be the One