Veterans Find Solace and New Purpose in Woodworking Program
Since 2018, a unique program has provided psychological relief and a renewed sense of purpose for 600 veterans who have participated. The transformative experience of crafting pens from raw wood has become a therapeutic journey for many.
“It’s a therapeutic process because you have to concentrate on what you’re doing without interruption,” said Young, a participant in the program. “Start off, you give thirty to forty minutes where you’re only concentrating on this one task. It relaxes your mind.”
Turning raw wood into a polished pen involves patience and precision. Participants begin with wood blanks and proceed through several stages of shaping, sanding, and polishing, revealing the natural beauty of the wood grain.
Young noted the positive changes in many veterans, particularly younger ones. “A lot of our younger veterans come in, and they spend two or three months, some of them come in, and they won’t talk at all,” Young explained. “And then they get used to the people here, and they start conversing, and then they say, ‘well, maybe I can go back to school’, or ‘maybe I can go out and get a job,’ and get some confidence built up.”
The program sources both domestic and exotic wood, along with scraps donated by other studio artists. “It’s not just wood we get donated,” said Paul Diperna, a penmaking instructor. “We’ll watch people make stuff and their scraps we can use. Sometimes their scraps are beautiful. I got some over here pulled out of the trash.”
Participation in the program is entirely free for veterans, thanks to grants and community partnerships that cover membership and material expenses. This financial support allows veterans to focus solely on their craft without any monetary concerns.
Additionally, the program has caught the attention of community members, who have started purchasing the handcrafted pens for $20 each.
