For more than 50 years, Help Heal Veterans has supported the healing and rehabilitation of United States veterans by providing them with therapeutic craft kits, completely free of charge. What sounds like a simple idea has produced life-changing benefits. The nonprofit has also helped the planet by recycling and repurposing materials that otherwise would have been discarded.
Gabby Bailey has worked for the nonprofit for more than 13 years and is currently serving as Development Coordinator. In this position, she plays many roles in supporting the organization and donors throughout their giving journey. She actively participates in local events and manages all social media channels, ensuring that the online presence aligns with the nonprofit’s mission and objectives.
“Help Heal Veterans has its roots in the Vietnam era, when our founder, Roger Chapin, visited Balboa Hospital,” Bailey said. “Upon seeing our military personnel recovering in hospital beds, he approached them and asked how he could assist. Their simple yet powerful request was, ‘Give us something to do with our hands.’”
The nonprofit organization was founded in 1971 after many discussions with hospital staff, physicians, therapists and patients and all the programs are designed to work in harmony with veterans’ medical care. Some of the healing effects these craft kits offer include improved fine motor skills, improved concentration, relief from anxiety and depression, support for recovery from substance use, help in managing PTSD and improved self-worth and self-esteem. Each veteran gleans their own personal benefits from the craft kits that are rated on difficulty of 1 to 5 to match one’s ability to successfully complete the project.
A variety of leather-based projects such as tri-fold wallets, moccasins and messenger bags, are very popular. Several projects incorporate leather “links” to make belts, wristbands and guitar straps, which require much concentration. More than 31 million free therapeutic craft kits have been distributed to veterans and veteran facilities nationwide and to active-duty military overseas since the organization’s beginning.
Bailey said the 24,000 sq.ft. Winchester property was chosen due to it being strategically located close to major shipping routes, offering easy access to and from the freeways. “At the time of our development, property values in the area were quite low. In fact, we were responsible for transforming what used to be a dirt road (Penfield Lane) into a developed street 25 years ago,” Bailey said. “It is the only manufacturing site in the world. No one else does what we do for our veterans.”
The nonprofit has a dedicated team consisting of 15 manufacturing employees and six office staff members plus CEO Captain Joe McClain and VP of Development Kristen Bennett, who works remotely. Additionally, there are four full-time Craft Care Specialists (CCS) and five part-time employees distributed across five locations throughout the country, with two of these locations operating as store fronts. Bailey said, “Most of our employees are either veterans or have an immediate family member that has served. As for me, my little brother is a Marine, stationed in Japan and to think that one day he will need our therapy kits is what make me want to help more.”
Beatriz Gayton of Hemet has been working at the site since it opened in 1998. She has worked all the machines and enjoys helping wherever she can. Grace Camaya of Murrieta has been there more than 15 years. “I like helping veterans, my husband is retired Navy,” she said. Adam McLeod of Temecula, himself an Air Force veteran, has been on board for the past eight years and enjoys the steady hours and benefits Help Heal Veterans provides. “It’s a great environment to work in,” he said. “It’s not just a solid job but the work we’re doing supports a good cause.”
Bailey said they obtain raw materials for manufacturing individual kits and produce the kit components at the Winchester warehouse. “Additionally, we handle the packaging of these craft kits and operate our facility as a warehouse for shipping the craft kits to various facilities and to homebound veterans,” she said. “We have established partnerships with organizations such as Southwest Airlines and the Elks, to name a few. Southwest Airlines generously provides us with materials, from reupholstered seats, which we clean, cut and package. This allows us to create wallet kits and other products from these materials, benefiting veterans. Over the past 20 years, the Elks have been an invaluable partner, supplying us with over 1 million square feet of deer skins. So we are not only helping veterans, we are also helping earth by taking all these materials that would be ending up in our landfills.”
This leather is used to make moccasins, wheelchair gloves, dreamcatchers, pouches and other items. Since 2017, nearly 470,000 pounds of upholstery fabric has been donated by La-Z-Boy to be used to make messenger bags, oven mitts and more. These are just a few examples of how strong partnerships with Help Heal Veterans can benefit companies and planet earth.
Cesar Camaclang, who has worked there about five years, stays busy breaking down the pallets of leather seats donated by Southwest Airlines. At a workstation located above the production floor, he cuts open the airplane seats and separates the foam from the leather covers so the raw materials can be taken to the next step in the process. Since 2018, more than 395,000 pounds of leather has been donated.
Also located upstairs are four computerized 3D laser machines for cutting detailed wooden pieces. John Kwiokowski started at the nonprofit’s San Diego offices in 1981. He works on helping to create new designs for the wood craft kits that are currently on hold because they can’t afford the correct wood needed to make the precise cuts. They are actively seeking companies that may have spare wood to donate.
Bailey said one of the most memorable highlights of her time as a receptionist was when she received a call from a veteran who was requesting a model kit. “At that time, we had model cars and airplanes available,” she said. “We promptly shipped him the airplane kit, and a few weeks later, he called me in tears, deeply emotional. He shared how making the kit had a profound impact on him, as it provided him with a sense of joy and relief. As he worked on the kit, it allowed him to escape into his cherished childhood memories when he would save up every penny to buy model cars. This experience opened my eyes to the therapeutic value of these craft kits for our veterans’ well-being. I realized that these kits hold a special place in their hearts and play a crucial role in their healing process.”
More recently, Bailey has witnessed the creativity that many veterans incorporate into the basic craft kit. Some have proudly returned their projects to the Winchester location to be prominently displayed in its lobby and many of their shared stories can be found at https://healvets.org/events-stories-news/letters-from-vets.
From the preparation of the raw materials to the printing of the instructions, each kit is assembled on site and includes a thank you card for the veteran recipient to return to a donor if and when they want to do so. Bailey noted that pen pal relationships often form when a donor receives a thank you postcard from a veteran and returns the correspondence, sometimes resulting in lifelong friendships.
In addition to helping veterans throughout the nation, the Winchester production center is connecting with the local community to bring awareness and action to the Help Heal Veterans cause. Joey Cox, currently a senior at Linfield Christian School, partnered with the local nonprofit in the summer before his sophomore year to found Students for Veterans on his campus. “We started with 27 members and had 72 at the end of the last school year,” Cox said. “Our club members’ efforts as well as our school community’s generosity has been phenomenal.” The students assist the nonprofit in its mission of providing craft kits and letters of encouragement to local veterans. “I see our efforts as lives that are being touched and possibly transformed,” he said. “Through my club, we have intentionally worked to make a difference in people’s lives, both at home and beyond. At our school we are encouraging patriotism, a thankful spirit for our American freedoms and most importantly, a thankful heart for our brave veterans.”
Cox approached Linfield Spanish teacher Nicholas Ortega to be the club’s advisor, who said he agreed for several reasons. “The mission was compelling, for Joey desired to partner with a local organization in the community by connecting Linfield students to a service-related partnership, all in the name of helping veterans,” Ortega said, adding that Joey is one of the most amazing students he has ever taught in terms of his maturity, academic brilliance and leadership. “I am a disabled Army Veteran with a service-connected disability and have been hospitalized three times because of my injury. I had the privilege of being an enlisted soldier attending the United States Military Academy Preparatory School. One month before graduating and moving on to West Point, I incurred a service-connected injury in 2002.” During his last hospitalization in 2011 at a VA institution, Ortega said he believes he benefited from a Help Heal Veterans craft kit, giving him “a personal connection with their work, and I know the value of it.”
The mission of Students for Veterans is to “support our brave veterans – our freedom is not free; raise awareness and support for U.S. veterans; provide support to a local veterans organization; encourage a thankful spirit for our American freedoms; and encourage patriotism.” The club’s partnership with Help Heal Veterans checks all the boxes.
Cox, who has been president since he founded the club, said, “Through my work with Students for Veterans and other extracurricular activities, I have discovered that I am passionate about serving others. I have learned leadership skills, life skills, and most importantly, a deeper appreciation of our veterans who ensure our freedoms as Americans. Additionally, I have learned that Linfield students are fiercely patriotic and eager to support our veterans. My peers have a heart to help others and are ready to serve. I am immensely thankful for all their support.”
Bailey said her organization is grateful for the partnership they have forged with Linfield students and hopes to see more community involvement from others. “We are currently facing a critical need for donations,” she said. “Although we have a warehouse full of kits, we lack the necessary funds to ship them out. The current economic conditions have led to reduced donations, and the high cost of freight is posing a significant challenge to our operations.”
Craft kits are provided to veterans as well as active-duty military personnel who have sustained injuries, and to treatment facilities that serve those who served. The kits are created through the generosity and compassion of countless donors and volunteers eager to honor veterans. No one is ever charged a fee for them because Help Heal Veterans believes that these service members have already paid the price through their sacrifice and service to our country.
For more information, www.healvets.org, 951-926-4500, info@healvets.org, Facebook @helphealveterans and Instagram @healvets.
