A park in Rogersville that provides a place for people with disabilities to enjoy the outdoors is getting spruced up thanks to a grant and volunteers.
Freedom Park is run by the nonprofit Diversified Freedom for Disabilities/Fish Tales, which was started by J.P. Sell.
Sell describes the park, which has a large man-made lake stocked with fish, as a hidden secret in southwest Missouri.
"This is a handicap facility that we work with children and veterans with disabilities. And we bring a lot of community outreach. We have tons of field trips from schools. We have a lot of like veterans retreats that we have here to help, you know, just getting the outdoors in a safe and enclosed environment where we can help as many people as we possibly can," he said.
He was inspired to start the nonprofit by veterans. Sell said, if it wasn't for veterans, we wouldn't have the freedom that we do today. The organization offers the Fishing Dreams program, which takes veterans fishing.
It's difficult to imagine it now, but the land Freedom Park sits on was once the excavation site for the crossover roads that were recently built in Rogersville. Friends from local construction companies helped Sell shape the hole left behind into what it is today.
"It was just a big old pit, like a quarry pit with no water and everything. And good Lord willing, we were able to — it held water like we was hoping it would and filled up. And we have just changed veterans and children's lives," he said. "We had a youth group here just a little bit ago from Ozark that kids caught their very first fish. Got to enjoy the great outdoors. And what better way to get to spend the great outdoors than getting to hang out with a lot of our veteran buddies here and stuff."
Diversified Freedom for Disabilities recently received a grant from Veterans United Foundation to complete work at Freedom Park, including planting flowers, installing safety lighting and installing concrete road barriers. Volunteers from First Residential Independent Mortgage planned to work Tuesday and Wednesday.
Piper Brintnall is foundation coordinator for the Veterans United Foundation, the philanthropic arm of First Residential.
"With our company, we have three values which are: Enhanced lives every day, be passionate and have fun and deliver results. And projects like this are so encompassing of all of those values together," she said. "Our employees are out here having fun and being passionate about the work that they're doing, but they're also delivering results that are going to enhance lives for the individuals who come out and just give an opportunity to experience the great outdoors for all people and not just a certain group.
More than 70 volunteers from the company were expected to spend time this week helping with projects at Freedom Park.
