GOSHEN/PORT JERVIS – The first of eight tiny 20 X 20, 400-square-foot homes being built by Orange-Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Education students was delivered from Goshen to its new home in Port Jervis just days ago.
The New York National Guard, a delegation of police and fire units, and other supporters delivered the home to Rumshock Foundation’s Veteran Village being constructed in Port Jervis.
BOCES teacher Corey Moore said that his carpentry students became involved as a result of a student asking what they could do for Veterans Day 2023. Moore recalled reading about Rumshock Veteran Foundation online and its desire to provide tiny homes for unhoused veterans.
An immediate connection was formed when Moore reached out to Rumshock President Bill Whetsel, and a strong partnership as his students estimated for materials and framed floors, walls, roofs, and ceilings – with a desire he had never seen before.
“I can’t pinpoint exactly where that energy came from, but I have a feeling it was divine intervention,” Moore said. “To say I am proud of my students is an understatement. To share this experience with these students is the highlight of my 28-years of teaching.”
Similar pride was shared by other speakers, including BOCES Chief Operating Officer Deborah McBride Heppes who noted that after many months of hard work, grit, and purpose, it was not just a structure being delivered to Rumshock Village but a symbol of hope, dignity, and community.
“You didn’t just swing hammers or run wires, you built a home for a hero,” Heppes told the students gathered for the send-off from BOCES. “Your classwork is exceptional, but your heart is what truly shines through – in every corner of this tiny home. You have proven that you are not just a workforce of tomorrow, but leaders of today.”
Two students spoke of the challenges, learning process, and ability to give back to veterans.
“When we built this home, we only had one thing in mind – helping homeless veterans,” said Dan Ruggiero, a senior from Monroe-Woodbury High School. “I believe it is our duty as students and as Americans to build these houses to keep veterans off the streets, as they have kept us safe in our country.”
Kenol Surprise, a senior at Middletown High School, spoke of his gratitude in sharing the tiny home journey with BOCES staff and fellow students.
“It was not easy. We persevered in heat and cold, and through difficult challenges,” Surprise said in thanking all who included his participation in the process. “We had some of the greatest experiences, and I just want to say, “God Bless our Veterans.”
The spirit of the Rumshock/BOCES connection is what Port Jervis Councilman Stan Siegel, himself a veteran, says has brought a safe haven for veterans to Port Jervis, along with personal connections and spirit. Siegel praised Bill & Tyler Whetsel and Rumshock Foundation’s vision and preservation of the former Roucken property in Port Jervis for veteran homes.
“The students have given us glimpses of their backgrounds, future goals, and the understanding that they have of a higher mission – helping veterans that they don’t even know. Imagine how deeply this impact is here, and into the future,” Siegel said. “They get it. They feel it.”
Tyler Whetsel, who assumed day-to-day leadership of the project while his father has been ill, spoke of growing up with the inborn philosophy of his father. That is, if veterans were willing to stand up and put their life on the line for us, then we have the duty of standing up for them when they come home.
Whetsel explained that in 2019 his father attended a veteran task force meeting in Orange County and learned that there were homeless veterans living right among them.
“Instead of waiting for someone else to fix it, he asked what could he do. That question led to the founding of Rumshock Foundation and the vision for a veteran’s village where veterans could live, work, train, and support one another as they transition back to civilian life. And where services are brought to the veteran, not the other way around,” Tyler said. “Without you,” he said of veterans, “there would be no United States of America.”
Representing Congressman Pat Ryan, who was in Washington, DC, Destiny Hallenbeck praised BOCES for the skills she received as a former BOCES student. She relayed that the congressman was honored to have been able to supply a $1 million federally funded grant to the project.
“This reflects the simple belief that when veterans are in need after they have served their country, we need to support them,” Hallenbeck said.
For questions about how to help with this project, or to inquire about veteran residency at the site, you may refer to Rumshock’s website at
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