Dedicated volunteers were there when the Travis Mills Foundation Veterans Retreat opened in 2017, and are continually an eager presence with whom the organization couldn’t operate without. Meet Galiana Michaud of Winslow, Maine, who started volunteering at the Travis Mills Foundation in 2022.
What inspired you to sign up as a volunteer?
I had a neighbor that I met because her son and I were friends. I would go over to her house and give her company and meet her nurses who would come and give her support. Sadly, she lost her services and we were both devastated. I decided I’d go over to her house as often as possible to clean, cook, and spend time with her and her son. Through our friendship, I learned she was a veteran who had served faithfully for our country. As a foster child, suddenly I moved away and joined a new family. My guardian brought me to a TMF Open House since her sister volunteered there for many years and as soon as I arrived at the Retreat, I knew that I was meant to serve there. The deep friendship I had with my neighbor compelled me to serve not just her, but hundreds of veterans. So from then on, I made the choice to become a volunteer at TMF!
In what areas/departments at the Retreat/Foundation have you volunteered?
I have volunteered in the kitchen, housekeeping, waterfront, and pool.
What do you enjoy most and why?
I enjoy it when I see the families become friends. Whenever I am in the kitchen, it literally makes my whole day when I hear laughter, good conversations, maybe even some happy or sorrowful crying, only because all these families have been through so much, and to see them do these things is the best thing ever.
