Mologne House Courtyard Program

The Mologne House Courtyard Program started the same way as all the Yellow Ribbon Fund programs started: meeting the needs of injured service members that are not met by others.

The soldiers and their families talked about enjoying barbeques, playing with their children and just being outdoors with each other.

Getting Started

Two Yellow Ribbon Fund volunteers visiting Walter Reed, Brendan Quinn, the owner of Ernest Maier, Inc, a distributor of hardscaping materials, and his key employee Ken Cook, saw a beautiful opportunity for better outdoor living and decided to do something about it. This is the Mologne House Courtyard, viewed from north to south, with the Mologne House in the upper area of the photograph.

The Mologne House Courtyard

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Excavation and construction began Monday November 19, 2007. Our progress is excellent, and we are on schedule. Weather permitting, we will work all day-as many days as we can-to get the program done as soon as possible.   We will complete all the hardscaping by April 11, the landscaping by April 18, and the placement of the Rose Mologne Gazebo and the pergola by April 25.

We will have a Grand Opening on May 3, 2008.

Please go to our blog to get the latest information on our progress and our current schedule.

You can see how you can continue to cross the Courtyard on our Courtyard Access Map.

From Plans to Approval in Record Time

Brendan and Ken found another Yellow Ribbon Fund volunteer, Todd Hyer, Land Planner, at the prominent landscaping architect and engineering firm, George W. Stephens, Jr. and Associates, Inc. Todd convinced his firm to donate their time and expertise to convert Brendan and Ken's vision into specific plans and specifications to make the Mologne House Courtyard the most beautiful and useful facility of its kind, anywhere.

Our Landscape Architect's Map - Todd Hyer, G.W. Stephens, Jr. and Associates, Inc

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The Mologne House, which you saw in the upper area of the photograph, is on the lower side and the left side of this map. You see the reflecting pool in the center, from another angle.

Brendan and Ken recruited Pete Curro, owner of Woodfield Landscaping, Inc. to join the team. They then went to Walter Reed to find the right partners to make their dream a reality. There they met with Peter Anderson, General Manager, Mologne House, who introduced them to Don Chory, Master Planner, Department of Public Works at Walter Reed. Don Chory, a landscape architect, and an amateur artist, was assigned to lead the Walter Reed team, as the Project Manager. This is Don's vision of the finished Courtyard.

Our Artist's Drawing - Don Chory, our Walter Reed Project Manager

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Don then took the lead in obtaining all the necessary approvals for the program. Denis Neill, a Yellow Ribbon Fund "Super Volunteer," joined Don in working through the bureaucratic maze. Denis organized the Yellow Ribbon Fund team. In record time, the project was approved by the National Environmental Policy Act Program Compliance Office, the District of Columbia State Historical Preservation Office, the U.S. Fine Arts Commission and the National Capital Planning Commission.

Financing the Program

Ed Quinn, another Yellow Ribbon Fund "Super Volunteer" and Vice Chairman of our Board, took up the challenge of assuring that we would have enough money to sign contracts and actually pay for the work. Brendan and Ken had a "dream" budget, but they put together a very austere budget to get the program under way. Ed convinced two local businessmen, who prefer not to be named here, to make extremely generous contributions. Ed then solicited another friend, Arthur Ryan, the former Chairman of the Board of Prudential Insurance Company, to contribute an equally substantial amount. With these commitments we were able to begin construction.

Once we began the actual work, we revised the very austere budget to assure that the program would offer our wounded warriors and their families the very best in outdoor living. We decided that we would put the finest finishing touches on the patios, the outdoor kitchens, the outdoor fireplaces, the walkways and the Rose Mologne Gazebo. Denis Neill obtained grants from The Clark Charitable Foundation and the Clark-Winchcole Foundation to enable us to fund Brendan and Ken's "dream" budget. John Leyes, another "Super Volunteer," assures that the program stays on budget.

Our Work in Progress

Cliff Plummer, Director, Army Customer Requirements, BAE Systems Electronics & Integrated Solutions, volunteered to manage the construction of the new Mologne House Playground. He and his colleagues contributed the seed money and found other financial support from Operation Homefront, and the Armed Forces Foundation. Under Cliff's daily management, we completed the playground, which is on the right side of Todd's map and in the lower part of Don's drawing, in less than 30 days. Here's what it looks like:

As soon as Ed Quinn obtained the financing, Woodfield Landscaping brought in a highly skilled crew and went to work. Pete Curro and his key men, Mike Southard and Jamie Hovatter, began excavation on November 19. Ken arranged for Ernest Maier to start delivering materials that same day. The team started construction of the Upper Patio the next day and finished the laying paving stones before Christmas. Here's what the Upper Patio looks like:

And here are the lower patios and the ramped walkway, at the end of March.  We are connecting the barbeques and the outdoor fireplaces.

Patti Kane, Manager, Home Builders Care Foundation, Inc. the charitable affiliate of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association, heard about our plans, and she convinced her Board of Directors to approve the donation of the beautiful new Rose Mologne Gazebo, named for General Lewis A. Mologne's widow. You can see the location of the gazebo in the right center of both Todd's map and Don's drawing.  Here’s the gazebo under construction at the end of March.

We are building our Walk of Appreciation, which begins with the ramped walkway between the lower patios and continues on a diagonal wheelchair accessible walkway toward the hospital during March and April. We want to ease the trip from Mologne House through the Courtyard toward the hospital.

The last stages of the Mologne House Courtyard Program include landscaping the entire Courtyard and putting new hardscaping in the area around the pool in the center of the Courtyard. We are making the facilities available as soon as they are completed, and we are planning an official Grand Opening on May 3, 2008.

Another Way to Say "Thank You"

As we photographed the progress of our work, we realized that someone else had expressed our motivation perfectly. Someone, whom we do not know, placed a banner, signed by many fine people, on the sidewalk railing between the lower and upper patios. Brendan took the photo on the left, and we cropped it to emphasize the message:

The Mologne House Courtyard Program is part of a greater effort by the Yellow Ribbon Fund to assist in the transition of our wounded warriors, from the battlefield back to their service or, more often, back to their local communities. We decided to give everyone an opportunity to say "thank you" and to assist these wonderful volunteers in this transition.

Show your appreciation and support for our wounded warriors on the Walk of Appreciation. Join us on the Honor Roll.

A Paving Stone on the Walk of Appreciation can be the keystone in a life-long relationship between the community and the wounded warrior and his or her family.

A Paving Stone also represents a significant contribution to our wounded warriors and their families through the programs administered by the Yellow Ribbon Fund. Here's how you can contribute.

We are proud that the wounded warriors receive over 85% of every dollar that you contribute through the Yellow Ribbon Fund. This is how your gifts have been is used to help those who have been injured and their families, especially those who are at Walter Reed or Bethesda Naval Hospital:

• Over 8,100 free taxicab vouchers,
• Over 673 free rental cars for 34,500 days,
• Over 2,500 free hotel nights for over 685 families,
• Over 2,500 free nights in apartments for over 38 families,
• Hundreds of tickets for local events,
• Mentorships and internships for over 150 wounded warriors.

Join the Team with your contribution to the wounded warriors and we will recognize you on the Walk of Appreciation. Here's how.