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Central Texas veterans are one step closer to their own permanent retreat and resource base at Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs.
Patriots’ Hall is a 10-acre facility built for veterans and their families to connect and find support. The first of several buildings, its 1200 sq. ft. meeting house is set to hold a private dedication April 29. There will be a ribbon cutting for the PHDS meeting house on May 21 with the VFW and American Legion.
The initiative began as a joint project between Kathryn Chandler, wife of actor Kyle Chandler, and Dr. Mary Jane Hetrick, president of the Dripping Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Chandler said she was inspired by her dad, a Vietnam veteran now living in a veterans’ home in California.
“I was only four when my father returned from two tours of Vietnam,” Chandler said. “But my mom told me he came home a very different person. So I’ve only known him as an extreme introvert, basically a hermit.”
“But now he is surrounded by other veterans,” she continued. “He listens to the military doctors, has made some incredible friends and is thriving. Veterans get each other. Veterans need each other.”
Veteran-specific needs have always been at the forefront of designing Patriots’ Hall, Dr. Hetrick said.
“While brainstorming our mission, our board took an in depth survey of veterans’ needs and we applied this survey to every aspect of our design and build,” she explained. “In fact, the majority of the PHDS board and advisory board are veterans. And always will be.”
Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs is run by a nine-person board of directors, five of which are veterans. The board is advised by a six-person advisory board, including four veterans, and works with a seven-person building team, including two veterans.
“I can tell you the needs in Central Texas for Veterans are tremendous,’ said Jeff Wells, board member and U.S. Army combat veteran. “Unemployment rates, mental health, and family issues are all front-of-mind for veterans, and the Patriots’ Hall addresses all of these issues, along with other basic needs.”
“The largest U.S. Veteran population in the world resides between
Fort Hood and San Antonio,” he continued. “Patriots’ Hall is right in the center of it all.”
Patriots’ Hall will offer therapeutic workshops, art classes, weekend campouts, education and employment seminars, family gatherings, land stewardship and VA Claims Assistance to veterans of all ages and military service, according to its website.
Multiple community members have stepped up to help the project, including Dripping Springs resident Dr. C. Chae Tracy, Curis Functional Health. Dr. Tracy donated $5,000 to Patriots’ Hall last month, as shown in the picture above.
Austin philanthropists John Paul and Eloise DeJoria donated $1 million through their foundation, JP’s Peace, Love & Happiness Foundation, to help build the PHDS meeting hall and the PHDS wellness center. John Paul, a veteran himself, served in the U.S. Navy and was appointed Admiral in the Texas Navy by former Governor Rick Perry.
“All too often, many of our vets find themselves alone and with no one to help them,” John Paul said. “The Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs was built to assist and connect veterans to what they need to know for their health and benefits and, more importantly, to provide a place to hang out with one another. We are social animals and we function much better in groups with the support of others. I learned this in my time in the Navy.”
Donations can be made to support Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs directly through their website at patriotshall.org. Patriots’ Hall is slated to be complete in early 2023.
