MORGANTON, Ga. — One local veteran whose fondness of bees has segued into a way to help other veterans suffering from PTSD.
Beekeeper Tim Doherty shared the benefits of beekeeping last year. After receiving donations from the community, Doherty has been able to open a massive bee learning center for veterans. The ribbon cutting happened with dozens of veterans cheering Friday afternoon.
It made Veterans Day that much sweeter on the secluded Fannin County farm for retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Mike Reynolds.
“I was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and got hurt," Reynolds said.
Beekeeping is a passion Reynolds shares with his military brothers and sisters.
“Veterans Day is kind of a day of reflection on the things that we have done and the friends I have that have come home and the ones that haven’t," Reynolds said.
Reynolds bonded with other veterans in Doc's Healing Hives' first beekeeping class. Doherty, a U.S. Army veteran, founded it to help veterans battling PTSD.
“Doc’s was founded in 2017 to help veterans heal through the vocation of beekeeping," Doherty said. "It is the best gift to give, to give someone the possibility of hope or (to) heal.”
“Bees are kind of like dogs," Reynolds said with a chuckle. "They read off of your personality and your feelings. If you walk out mad to take care of bees, it usually doesn’t fair well for you.”
Now the non-profit organization is expanding and opening up a Veterans Learning Center on the 13-acre site.
“It’ll allow us to host between 15 and 60 veterans a year with a weekend-long course, which will eventually become a week-long course," Doherty said.
Veterans can do more than just beekeeping there. In the spring, they'll learn about sustainable farming, focusing on vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
It goes beyond bees and honey by serving up a sense of peace for all who come there.
“Knowing that this place will exist where veterans can come to, bond with other veterans, learn a new skill, and have a new purpose, it’s just magical," Doherty said.
Doc's Healing Hives is accepting donations on its fundraising page to turn the facility into a retreat. Doherty needs to raise $500,000 to buy tiny homes for veterans to stay at.
Those interested in the program can also visit their Facebook page or Instagram page for more information and to donate.