{"id":2069126,"date":"2023-10-16T15:36:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T19:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-bought-a-ranch-to-help-veterans-then-came-an-unexpected-green-tax-bill\/"},"modified":"2023-10-16T15:40:30","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T19:40:30","slug":"they-bought-a-ranch-to-help-veterans-then-came-an-unexpected-green-tax-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-bought-a-ranch-to-help-veterans-then-came-an-unexpected-green-tax-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran-supporting ranch hit with unexpected &#8216;green tax&#8217; bill."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthey-bought-a-ranch-to-help-veterans-then-came-an-unexpected-green-tax-bill%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2069126&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>SABILLASVILLE, Md.\u2014A Slice\u200c of Heaven \u200dfor\u2063 Wounded Veterans<\/h2>\n<p>Dark thunderstorm clouds parted and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/double-rainbow-appears-over-buckingham-palace-just-before-queen-elizabeths-death-announced\/\" title=\"Double Rainbow Appears Over Buckingham Palace Just Before Queen Elizabeth\u2019s Death Announced\">double rainbow appeared<\/a> just as \u200ca family\u2064 pulled up at Heroes \u2063Ridge at Raven Rock, home of\u2064 Operation Second Chance, a nonprofit retreat that \u2062benefits\u200d wounded\u2063 veterans and \u200btheir families.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe\u200b thought we were entering heaven,\u201d a family member said upon arrival, according to Cindy McGrew, the founder and\u2062 CEO\u200d of <a href=\"https:\/\/operationsecondchance.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Operation Second Chance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The\u2062 picturesque mountaintop on the border\u2063 of \u2064Maryland and Pennsylvania in the Blue Ridge\u2062 Mountains \u200creally is a slice\u200c of heaven, Ms. McGrew told The Epoch Times; it&#8217;s\u200c meant to\u200b help \u2064heal \u2063spirits broken \u2062by trauma\u2064 experienced during \u2063military \u200cservice.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Second Chance hosts\u2062 battle \u2063buddies, caregivers, families, groups, and individuals \u2064from around the United States in\u200d cabins accessible for amputees and wheelchair users.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064experience is \u2064free for guests,\u2062 including travel\u200d expenses, activities, and food. The organization also provides \u200cgrants\u200d to\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-bought-a-ranch-to-help-veterans-then-came-an-unexpected-green-tax-bill\/\" title=\"Veteran-supporting ranch hit with unexpected 'green tax' bill.\">wounded veterans facing \u2064financial struggles<\/a>, helping with house and car\u200b payments, medical supplies, and emergency assistance.<\/p>\n<h3>Clean\u200b and Green<\/h3>\n<p>Heroes Ridge \u200cis a 275-acre, mostly wooded\u200b property with 25 acres in Frederick County, Maryland and \u2064the rest in\u200d Adams County. The Frederick County \u200cportion is tax-exempt because Operation Second Chance is a nonprofit. But Adams County\u2062 hasn&#8217;t granted the same exemption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe purchased this \u200bproperty \u2063in\u200b October \u2062of 2020, cleaned up the \u200bbuildings \u200cthat were\u2062 already here, made them livable again and brought life back to them,\u201d Ms. McGrew said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen last year, \u200d2022, just a few days before \u2063Thanksgiving, I received a call saying it was a courtesy call because we were going\u200b to get a tax bill for \u2063just over $92,000.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063Mason-Dixon line runs through the property, a former church camp,\u200d and nearby Camp David, the presidential retreat, can be seen in one direction. From a wooded peak in\u2063 another direction, veterans can sit by a bonfire overlooking \u2063the iconic Gettysburg battlegrounds, watch the sun go down, and talk\u2063 with others \u200bwho understand what they \u200bhave \u2064seen, what they face, \u2064and how they feel.<\/p>\n<p>But, since \u2062Operation\u2062 Second Chance bought the property in \u20632020, more dark \u200cclouds have loomed over Heroes\u200b Ridge. Two years after the organization bought\u2062 the\u200c property, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-inherited-ira-rules-mean-heirs-could-be-left-with-large-tax-bills\/\" title=\"New IRA rules may leave heirs with hefty tax bills.\">unexpected tax bill<\/a> arrived from Adams County,\u2062 Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p>The bill, for more than $92,000, is the sum of a \u200cseven-year claw-back \u2062of a property \u200ctax\u2062 discount through Pennsylvania\u2019s Clean and Green\u200c Environmental tax break program.<\/p>\n<h3>Tax Dispute<\/h3>\n<p>When a\u2064 buyer\u200b purchases \u200ca\u2062 property already enrolled in Clean and \u2062Green, \u2063they must update the program\u2019s application with their\u200c information, which usually triggers an additional review of the status, Adams County Solicitor Sean\u2063 Mott told The Epoch\u2062 Times.\u2064 The review determines if\u2064 the property has had a change of use that could take the land out of the\u200d program and trigger\u200b a\u200b seven-year rollback \u2062of the amount of taxes that \u2063weren&#8217;t paid due to the discount.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. McGrew \u200csaid she never received those letters, \u2062but \u200cin August of 2022, someone from the county\u2064 tax office \u2064visited Operation Second Chance with a letter in hand regarding Clean\u2064 and Green. \u200bThat letter\u2064 did not have the \u2062right address, she\u200d said, and \u200cwas\u200b not addressed to the \u2064right\u2064 person. She asked him\u200b to\u2062 check his records, address them properly, and mail them to Operation\u200c Second Chance.<\/p>\n<p>In Pennsylvania, \u200bexemption from taxation is allowed under two \u200ccategories\u2062 of landowners: \u2064religious organizations that use\u200c property for worship and \u201cpurely public charities,\u201d so long as\u200b the land is actually used in \u2064furtherance of\u2063 their charitable mission.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Second Chance applied\u200d in\u2064 2022\u2064 for a\u2062 tax exemption under the Institution of \u200cPurely Public Charity \u2063Act, Mr. Mott said, \u201cWhich was only\u2062 granted in\u200d part, as \u200bthey were only able to\u200b provide evidence of charitable use (i.e., the veterans retreat) for 26.95 acres\u2062 of the \u200broughly 250 acres (most of which is undeveloped). So, 26.95 acres of the total property\u200d are completely\u2064 exempt from\u200c property \u2064taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Adams \u200dCounty considers\u2063 the land on which\u200b the\u2064 buildings are located \u2062as a nonprofit and exempt from \u2062taxes, but the\u200c undeveloped land\u2014which \u200bClean and Green\u200b seeks to preserve as\u2062 forested \u200bland\u2014is not being used enough by Operation Second Chance to qualify for the\u200b nonprofit tax exemption.<\/p>\n<h3>The\u2064 Veterans<\/h3>\n<p>In 2004, Ms. McGrew started visiting wounded veterans in Bethesda, Maryland, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Her brothers had \u200cserved in Vietnam, \u200cand she\u200c vowed that she would always care \u200dfor veterans.<\/p>\n<p>At Walter Reed, she stood in for parents and spouses\u2062 of the wounded \u200cwhen they \u200bcould not be\u2063 there, holding hands, listening to their concerns, and filling various needs that came \u2064up, such \u2062as purchasing a playpen \u2063for a visiting\u2062 baby. Her coworkers handed her money \u2062and said, \u201cGive this to\u2063 your veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This morphed into\u200b Operation Second Chance, allowing Ms. McGrew to help more veterans.\u2063 Since its start,\u200d Operation Second\u200d Chance has provided more than\u2062 $9\u200b million in\u200c assistance to veterans and their families \u2062through public donations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ve got guys and gals that are \u200csurviving catastrophic injuries that \u2063they \u200bwould \u2062not have\u200b survived in previous wars,\u201d Ms. McGrew said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome are from rural America, \u200bthey want to\u2064 get out of a bad situation by joining the military, or they are very patriotic and wanted \u2063to take a stand and fight \u2063for our country. If they&#8217;re wounded, they only get\u200b a percentage of that pay for life. If you saw their paycheck, for many of them, \u200bit&#8217;s not enough to live \u2063on. If you&#8217;re in Montgomery\u2063 County, Maryland, for instance, you could\u200b not live on $1,700 a month, and that&#8217;s \u200cwhat some will make.\u200d It \u2064depends on their rank. I don&#8217;t have all the answers\u2064 for \u200dthat, but I know if [the nation] were doing our\u200b job, you wouldn\u2019t need\u2062 nonprofits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many \u2064veterans \u2062wait until the last minute\u200d to \u2063ask for help, \u200bshe\u200b said, hoping something\u200c in\u2062 their circumstances will change.<\/p>\n<p>Visitors \u2063to Heroes Ridge \u2064enter a gravel lane through\u200d an electronic security gate and drive about a mile uphill before cresting at\u2062 the mountaintop where the\u200b main\u200d activities are located. There are several \u200ccabins for families, a recreation building, a chow hall, \u2064a main house and pool,\u2063 and an outdoor arena for \u200chorses. An indoor \u2063horse-riding arena is planned where the outdoor arena is located so they can \u200dcontinue their horse program in all weather.<\/p>\n<p>The security gate and large areas\u2062 of forested land surrounding the\u2064 main buildings help those suffering from PTSD feel safe. There are hiking trails in the forest.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans and\u200d their families who visit Operation Second Chance are often adjusting to major life changes and the entire visit\u200d is geared to\u200d build morale. The \u2063horse program is one of the most memorable\u2064 activities at the retreat. \u200dFour rodeo \u200bteam roping horses, named Pepsi, Loops, Cactus, \u2063and Jake, stand in \u2063the ring at the center of the property. Hector, an outrageously friendly donkey, is there, too.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans are \u200ctaught how to throw a lasso over\u200d the horns \u200cof a dummy\u2062 steer.\u2063 Then,\u2063 they get on \u2063a horse and\u200d try \u200dto rope the dummy steer while\u200c it&#8217;s pulled\u2062 around the ring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe object is to get what\u2019s on your mind, off your mind,\u201d Operation\u200c Second Chance\u2019s resident cowboy Greg Maddox told the Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>He says 95 percent of the wounded \u200bveterans who visit have never ridden a horse, \u200bor at least not since childhood. And now \u2063they are asking a lot of their body. But when a double leg amputee \u200dor someone with a \u200ctraumatic brain \u2063injury\u200b gets up on a horse, they \u2063move like everyone else\u2062 who is\u2062 on a horse.\u2063 They get so focused on riding\u200c the horse and roping\u200c the steer that they\u2063 often \u2064forget their disability for a \u2062moment.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2064 builds confidence as they \u200bsee \u200cthemselves in a new light.<\/p>\n<p>Some are nervous\u200b around \u2063the horses and stand outside the\u200b fence. That is \u2062when Hector the donkey walks over, nudges, and insists on\u200b being petted. Hector breaks the ice, and\u2063 soon, the veterans are in the\u200c ring \u2063interacting with the horses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can see their body language change,\u201d Maddox said, as they go from nervous to relaxed to practicing riders and ropers.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans who can&#8217;t ride horses can \u2063benefit \u2063from interacting\u200c with them.\u200d Horses\u2062 have\u2063 a way of\u200b understanding our emotions, and they\u2062 meet people where they are, Ms. McGrew said.<\/p>\n<p>The cabins have notebooks where \u200cformer guests\u200b have written\u200c heartfelt letters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want my honesty, last week, my\u2062 only plan was to shoot my dog and\u200c then myself. It&#8217;s real. That\u2019s all I had,\u201d one wounded veteran\u2019s entry said. \u201cNow, as I\u200d sit here, momentum growing in my stomach, I can finally \u200cfeel God\u200c again, whispering into my heart that the\u200c powers\u2063 that\u2064 be within my soul, once harnessed in self-love, is a power\u2063 that can crush evil, not out of\u200b vengeance, but \u200cout\u200d of love \u200dand fierce loyalty to compassion. \u2063If\u2064 you feel like God has left you, you gather those that are capable of loving you and come \u2064up\u200d with a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cabins have kitchens, but Ms. McGrew has found that \u2063guests prefer to \u200bgather together \u2062in one place for meals. If they didn\u2019t know each other\u200c before arrival, they \u200busually exchange information\u2062 to\u2063 stay in touch before leaving. Sharing meals,\u2062 rodeo roping, and\u200b campfire\u200b conversations creates bonds not\u2062 only\u200b between wounded\u200c veterans \u2063but \u200dalso among their spouses and children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is an \u2064honor to take\u2062 care \u2063of this place \u200cand to be able to share \u2063it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2063What actions did the local community take to\u200d support Operation Second Chance in their tax dispute?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Property owners have the \u2063right \u200bto appeal tax assessments. Ms. McGrew, along with her \u200cattorney, appealed \u2063the tax bill to Adams\u200c County Tax\u200b Assessment Office, but the appeal was \u2063denied. They then \u2064filed a lawsuit over the tax bill, \u200barguing that \u2063it was unjust and unfair.<\/p>\n<h3>A Community Rallies<\/h3>\n<p>News of Operation \u200bSecond Chance&#8217;s tax dispute spread, and the\u200c local community rallied behind the \u200bnonprofit. A GoFundMe\u200d campaign was launched to raise funds for the legal battle against the tax bill. Donations poured in from people across\u200c the country who wanted to support\u2063 the organization and its\u2063 mission.<\/p>\n<p>As of now, the legal battle is ongoing, but Operation Second\u200d Chance remains determined to\u2064 continue its work \u200dat\u200d Heroes Ridge. The retreat continues to welcome wounded veterans and \u2064their families, providing them with a\u200b place of healing and support.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges \u2063posed by this\u2064 unexpected tax bill, \u200cHeroes\u2062 Ridge remains a sanctuary for those who have served their country and\u200c paid a high price for their\u200c service. \u200bIt is a place\u200c where veterans \u200dcan find solace, connect with others who understand their experiences, and find the support they need to move \u200cforward.<\/p>\n<h3>A Slice of\u200b Heaven<\/h3>\n<p>Heroes\u200d Ridge \u200ctruly lives up to\u2064 its name as a slice of \u200cheaven for wounded\u200c veterans. The picturesque mountaintop location, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains,\u2062 provides a serene and \u200dpeaceful environment\u2062 for \u200chealing and reflection. The cabins are designed to be\u2064 accessible \u200cfor \u2063amputees and wheelchair users, ensuring that all \u2064veterans can enjoy the retreat.<\/p>\n<p>Operation Second Chance goes above and beyond\u2062 to make the\u200c experience at Heroes Ridge as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for its\u2063 guests. The organization covers all expenses, including travel, activities, \u200band\u200c food, so that wounded\u200c veterans and their families can focus on their healing journey without any financial burden.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2063 addition to providing a\u200b retreat, Operation \u2063Second Chance also offers grants to wounded veterans\u200c facing\u2064 financial struggles. These grants\u200d help veterans with house \u2064and \u2063car payments, medical \u2064supplies, and emergency assistance, ensuring that they have the support they need to thrive.<\/p>\n<h3>A Call for Support<\/h3>\n<p>As the legal battle over the tax bill \u200dcontinues, Operation\u200d Second Chance is calling for support from the \u200dcommunity. The organization is urging people to \u200bdonate to their \u2063cause, either through the GoFundMe campaign or directly through their \u200dwebsite.<\/p>\n<p>Every \u200cdonation counts\u200b and will help \u200dOperation Second Chance \u2064in their fight \u2063to keep Heroes Ridge open and accessible to wounded veterans.\u200c By standing together and supporting this important\u2062 cause, we \u200ccan ensure that \u200dthese heroes receive the healing and support they deserve.<\/p>\n<p>Heroes Ridge at Raven \u200dRock is more than just\u200c a retreat; it is a place of hope,\u2062 resilience, and healing for wounded veterans. Let us stand together and \u200censure that this slice of heaven remains\u2063 a sanctuary \u200cfor those who have sacrificed so much for our country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SABILLASVILLE, Md.\u2014As a family arrived at Heroes Ridge at Raven Rock, a nonprofit retreat for wounded veterans, dark storm clouds cleared, revealing a stunning double rainbow. &#8220;Entering heaven,&#8221; exclaimed a family member, as Cindy McGrew, the founder, shared their joy. Operation Second Chance supports these brave heroes and their families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":2069127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2069126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2069126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2069127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2069126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2069126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2069126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}