Beals House makes stay more comfortable for Maine veterans’ family members

    AUGUSTA — Valentine’s Day 1999 was a sight that several American Legion Auxiliary members will never forget at the Togus Veterans Administration Hospital in Augusta.

    HOME BASE — Beal House Board President Kenda Simmons displays a basket of toiletries located in each room of the Beal House. She has been a volunteer at the house for the past 13 years helping veterans’ families feel comfortable during their visit.

    The ladies were attending a party when they saw several people in the hospital’s waiting area sleeping. The family members spent the night in the waiting area because they had no other place to stay.

    “Something has to be done about this,” said the ladies of American Legion Auxiliary.

    Thus began the Auxiliary’s efforts to establish a home on the hospital grounds so family members could have a 2-3 day visit. The Auxiliary notified other state veteran organizations about raising money to support the project. The Auxiliary leased an old house in need of renovation on the hospital grounds for $1 per year.

    This home became the Beals House named after Rockland granite merchant Horace Beals who donated the land for the Old Soldiers and Sailors home to the federal government in 1866.

    The Auxiliary recruited a board of directors comprised of all 18 Maine veterans service organizations to operate the only house of its kind totally supported by a state’s veteran organizations.

    Beals House President Kenda Simmons began her service to the board of directors in 1999. She was the Maine LaFemmes’ — a sororal organization of women formed in 1963 for the sole purpose supporting veterans programs — first representative on the board of directors. Her father is a World War II veteran. and began her service to veterans’ causes due to her father’s urging.

    “He told me never to forget the sacrifices our veterans have made to preserve freedom,” Simmons said. “I started with the LaFemmes which led me to become our representative on the Beals House board of directors. I’ve been a volunteer here at the Beals House ever since it started.”

    In 1999, the directors began raising money to renovate the house on the Togus grounds. When it came time to renovate the house, there seemed to be plenty of volunteers to renovate the building, but there was a shortage of funding to purchase materials.

    An anonymous donation was made shortly afterwards which allowed the project to proceed. The volunteer efforts ranged from a Brunswick Naval Air Base crew renovating a major portion of the house, to Davis Bros. Furniture in Guilford donating a living room set.

    “All of this has been accomplished with volunteer work and donations,” Worcester said. “If it wasn’t for that none of this could’ve happened. That $25,000 donation was especially helpful because it allowed those who volunteered their labor a chance to get started.”

    The Beals House is open to immediate family members,  their adult children and close friends. A Maine veteran may need emergency services which leaves the family little time to prepare. The Beal House provides these families a place to stay —free of charge — so they can be near them during their medical procedure.

    “Togus is here to make sure our veterans are taken care of,” Simmons said. “A part of that is making sure the patients’ family needs are met. It keeps the patient’s mind at ease knowing that their family is being looked after.”

    In 2011, 592 visitors stayed at the house and, in 2012, another 407 visited. The house has a $2,200 operating budget per month. Carol Baker has been the house’s full-time caretaker for the past two years. She first became acquainted with the Beals House when she stayed their as a guest.

     It was a conversation with the previous caretaker which led her to take the position.

    “She told me that she was leaving. This started me thinking about working here,” Baker said. “My husband told me that I was going to do all the work — which was fine — so I decided to take the job.”

    The directors considered expanding their operations a few years ago, but they decided against it as fundraising slowed as did the sharp increase in demand.

    With a slowdown in funding, the Beals House is hoping to receive some assistance from federal and state sources.

    The directors have made a request to the congressional delegation, but so far haven’t received a response.

    “We’ve always raised all of our own money, but the economy has hurt our efforts,” Simmons said. “An organization who sent us a $1,000 per year in the past is now sending $500. So we really do need help from other sources to continue.”

    For the first time, the state budget may provide some funding to the Beal House this year.

    “The Governor understands that the Beal House needs some financial assistance. He is working on providing some funding for it in the next budget,” said State Senator Doug Thomas (R-Somerset).

    When Horace Beal first developed his property, he envisioned it as a summer resort on par with Saratoga Springs with a racetrack and hotel. Beal dreamed it would be a destination for people from miles away to relax and enjoy themselves.

    Instead it has become a place for Maine’s military heroes to heal.    And the house that bears his name has helped those soldiers concentrate on their own well-being because they know their loved ones aren’t only dear, but near.