From the Pamlico Rose Institute for Sustainable Communities

Doug McVeigh, owner of AOP Orthotics & Prosthetics in Greenville, recently donated $4,200 worth of plants to Pamlico Rose’s Rose Haven gardens. McVeigh, a Navy veteran, serves many veterans in eastern North Carolina.

“I work with many veterans in my line of work,” McVeigh said. “I attend to their needs, but also listen to their stories.”

AOP has offices in Greenviile, Wilson and Washington. McVeigh is also a hobby gardener and enjoys the peace and comfort gardening gives him. Robert Greene Sands, Pamlico Rose CEO and Rose Haven gardener was alerted to McVeigh’s hobby by a friend who enthusiastically also told him McVeigh was a veteran.

Sands reached out to the veteran and gardener through McVeigh’s Facebook market site as he was looking to acquire plants for the Rose Haven Healing gardens.

After learning about Pamlico Rose and Rose Haven, McVeigh and AOP donated the many plants that included camelias, azaleas, gardenias, hibiscus, abelias and several more types.

“Doug is a veteran, one of his sons is former Navy, and he serves many veterans. He gets the need for activities like gardening to promote healing in female and other veterans struggling with reintegration,” said Sands. “His gift will keep on giving as soon as we can get them in the ground. What a dilemma to have, all those shrubs to plant.”