A New Beginning: Uniontown veteran hopes to provide fresh start to community
Evan Sanders
Rumbaugh hopes A New Beginning center on Morgantown Street in Uniontown will help area veterans.
Evan Sanders
Retired Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Rumbaugh stands outside A New Beginning center on Morgantown Street in Uniontown on Thursday.
Evan Sanders
Retired Marine Lance Cpl. Brandon Rumbaugh walks through A New Beginning center on Morgantown Street in Uniontown on Thursday. Rumbaugh recently had the building donated to him by businessman Joe Hardy, who saw it as an opportunity for Rumbaugh to help and serve the veterans in the area.
A Marine veteran plans to transform three abandoned buildings in Uniontown into a place where residents can come for a fresh start.
Brandon Rumbaugh, a 27-year-old Uniontown man who lost both his legs in Afghanistan during an improvised explosive device blast in 2010, plans to open 鈥淎 New Beginning鈥� in September.
鈥淚f people want the opportunity to start over, have a new life, they should have that opportunity,鈥� he said.
The three neighboring buildings on Morgantown Street were donated by Joe Hardy, owner of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and 84 Lumber Co. in October. Rumbaugh said he wants the facility to be a community resource to everyone in the community, not just veterans. He said he has a special interest in helping young people build a strong foundation for their lives.
Part of the facility will house offices for Rumbaugh蘑菇视频 motivational speaking company, A.C.T. Motivational Speaking, and It蘑菇视频 About the Warrior Foundation, a veterans鈥� non-profit based in Butler. Rumbaugh serves on the non-profit蘑菇视频 board.
He also plans to open offices for counselors where veterans and others without insurance can seek mental health therapy. The center will connect people to various resources and offer recreation, he said.
Rumbaugh said locals are often asking him for help in various aspects of life, most frequently through social media. He said with the increase in requests and his increased resources to meet those needs, he decided it was time to open a location where locals can come to him.
鈥淲ith the things we get done with social media, imagine what we could do with a place people can come,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f someone needs something, we have the resources to make this happen.鈥�
Rumbaugh, who often speaks at area schools, said he has anticipates reaching high school students through the facility. With parental permission, he said he wants local students to sign a paper saying that if they are having problems in school, they will come to the center.
鈥淚f they happen to get in trouble, they鈥檒l have to come down here and help out,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l basically just put them to work while telling them, 鈥業f this is the path you continue on, this is where you鈥檙e going to end up.'鈥�
In the future, he said he plans to remodel second-floor apartments into short-term housing. In August, dozens of Connellsville-area residents were displaced after flooding. He said locals in future crisis situations could come to the center for a place to stay.
He said the center could also be a facility to hold fundraisers for families in need, collect donations or hold events.
鈥淏ut right now, the focus is on getting the remodeling done,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 the most stressful part.鈥�
He said he was planning to spend $70,000 on the buildings, which can now be put toward an estimated $50,000 remodel. The buildings previously housed a vape shop, dress shop and bar.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 just getting to that point,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 might put myself into debt doing it, but you need to take a risk, right?鈥�