Coffee Bunker a Place For Veterans to Connect
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Horton (USAF) is the executive director of the Coffee Bunker, and vice president of the board of directors.
GTR Newspapers Photo
The mission of the Coffee Bunker is to “To offer opportunities that support our service members and veterans toward successful reintegration with their families and communities.”
Coffee Bunker is here to meet veterans “where they are” and help with the transition to family and community life. The Coffee Bunker is Tulsa’s only peer run drop-in center and provides a family-friendly, alcohol-free and drug-free environment. The 3,500 square foot facility, located at 6365 E. 41st St., is set up for veterans and their families to get together, use computers, enjoy games and group activities, watch TV or movies and just hang out.
In its continued efforts to reach all veterans, Coffee Bunker representatives find it important to meet them right where they are in their lives. Staff strives to connect veterans with the resources and advantages the Tulsa community has for them. The mission statement says, “We believe in bringing Coffee Bunker to our veterans in order to give them an opportunity to know there is a special place for them to call their own and to find how we and our sister resources can help them.
“We provide a safe and relaxing atmosphere that welcomes all military servicemen and women, as well as their family members. Our services are provided free of charge.
“Our troops have fought for us … It’s our turn to fight for them.”
Coffee Bunker is the flagship program of Honor Bunker, Inc., a 501©(3) non-profit organization founded in Tulsa.
Coffee Bunker was founded by Mary Ligon. According to the Coffee Bunker website, her heart and mind took a stark change of direction concerning our military and their families after her own 24-year-old son, Cpl. Daniel Y. Ligon, , returned from his second deployment in Fallujah, Iraq. After his honorable discharge, he returned to Tulsa, clearly disturbed. Struggles with , depression, sheer exhaustion, and a crumbled marriage all culminated in his death by suicide on June 10, 2007. Mary’s passion is to redeem the tragedy of Daniel’s devastating death, reaching out to others facing the same silent wounds of war.
Mary is a native Tulsan. Her life has been colored in part by living 23 years in the Arab World, as well as three years in England. The countries she has lived in include Cyprus, Egypt, Tunisia, England, and Lebanon. Mary has her Certification in Pastoral Counseling from St. John’s Anglican College in Nottingham, England. Mary and her husband have been married 35 years and have two grown children, one being Daniel’s older sister, the other his younger brother, who served five years in the U.S. Marines. Mary has received the Community Education Award from Mental Health Association in Tulsa and 2010 Annual Award from Community Service Council in Tulsa.
For more information, see www.coffeebunker.org.
Updated 03-19-2018
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