Help Heal Veterans

HELP HEAL VETERANS CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

First established in 1971, Help Heal Veterans has provided free therapeutic arts and crafts kits to active duty military and veterans for generations.

Help Heal Veterans (Heal Vets), a nonprofit that provides free therapeutic arts and crafts kits to veterans and active duty military, is proudly celebrating its 50th anniversary. Much has changed since 1971 but Help Heal Veterans has remained at the forefront of using craft therapy to help veterans and active-duty military heal the invisible wounds of war.

“Over the past 50 years, we have been surrounded by the absolute best people in the business,” says Joe McClain, retired Navy captain and Help Heal Veterans CEO. “Our partners, employees and volunteers have turned our vision into reality, in more ways than we could have imagined. Even though our mission has evolved, ‘helping any veteran or military member in need,’ very much remains at the core of what we do, and we are grateful to everyone who has joined us along our journey.”

In 1971, Help Heal Veterans produced one of the first craft-related therapy programs for patients from various medical centers and military hospitals. From that experience, a big idea was made possible by thousands of caring contributors wanting to express their love and appreciation to America’s heroes. Now, the organization produces and ships nearly half a million kits every year from its Winchester, California workshop.

Over the past 50 years, Help Heal Veterans has shipped millions of arts & crafts kits to hundreds of facilities. Indeed, since 2017, Heal Vets has worked with partner organizations to repurpose the extraordinary amounts of potential landfill waste, including:

• 300,000 pounds of leather from airplane seats. Southwest Airlines and Arise Foundation have donated leather from airplane seats since 2018. These materials are used to make wallets, footballs, and components for moccasins, such as liners and insoles.

• 55,216 pounds of tanned deer skins. The Elks, a partner since 2002, donates tanned deer skins from Elks Lodge members around the country that are used to make moccasins, wheelchair gloves, dreamcatchers, pouches and more.

• 454,500 pounds of upholstery. Since 2017, La Z Boy has donated upholstery fabric that Heal Vets uses in kits to make messenger bags, oven mitts, bowl cozies and more.

• 112,416 pounds of cabinets. Since 2019, American Woodmark has donated cabinets, which have been repurposed for wood kits to make items like boxes and birdhouses.

• 40,000 pounds of automobile seats. Since 2019, Magna has donated auto seats used to make purse kits.

Help Heal Veterans is committed to healing and supporting veterans’ mind, body, and spirit. Studies show that crafting can provide therapeutic and rehabilitative benefits, including improving fine motor skills, cognitive functioning, memory and dexterity. It can also help alleviate feelings of anger and the severity of negative behaviors triggered by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which are important considering the United States has suffered more than 100,000 military casualties of war since 1950 and lost more than 65,000 veterans to suicide in the last 10 years. Looking ahead, the organization plans to continue carrying out the values on which it was founded, while continuing to identify innovative ways to support veterans through their healing process.

To learn more about Heal Vets and explore an interactive map that includes 50 veteran stories over 50 years of impact across 50 U.S. states, visit www.HealVets.org/50

About Help Heal Veterans

First established in 1971, Help Heal Veterans has provided free therapeutic arts and crafts kits to hospitalized and homebound veterans for generations. These craft kits help injured and recuperating veterans improve fine motor skills, cognitive functioning, manage stress and substance abuse, cope with symptoms of PTSD and TBI, while also improving their sense of self-esteem and overall physical and mental health. Most of these kits are developed, manufactured and packaged for delivery at our production center headquartered in Winchester, California. Since inception, Help Heal Veterans has delivered nearly 31 million of these arts and crafts kits to veterans and veteran facilities nationwide, along with active duty military overseas.