After multiple deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and time stationed on a ship in Japan, Ian Gallardo came back to Virginia Beach to retire from his Navy career.
While looking for a new hobby, Gallardo decided to try a free workshop at O’Connor Woodworking, a custom woodworking shop in Sandbridge. He learned the basics of wood turning and made a honey dipper.
“It’s definitely something I’m more interested in now,” Gallardo said. “Jeff O’ Connor, the owner, was amazing.”
The free three-hour workshop was a partnership with Armed Services Arts Partnership, a nonprofit founded in 2015 in Williamsburg. It fosters a creative community where military veterans and their loved ones thrive through the arts. Free classes are offered in visual arts, comedy, creative writing, stage combat and more to veterans, their spouses and their kids over 18.
Modern military service can sometimes lead to post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, social isolation and increased suicide risk, said Brian Jenkins, CEO of ASAP.
“Our free classes directly address some of these challenges,” Jenkins said. “Ultimately, our alumni experience improved social connection, self esteem and resilience while reducing depression and harmful stress.”
O’Connor, a retired Navy explosive ordnance disposal master chief, said he was approached by ASAP because they had lots of requests for woodworking classes from veterans in the area. When they contacted him, they discovered O’Connor’s wife, Kim, owns The Striped Tomato, an embroidery and screen printing company at the same location. So, Kim offers free sewing classes too.
O’Connor said he discovered the arts as a distractive therapy and wanted to offer every veteran suffering from the visible and invisible wounds a chance to experience it too.
Kim O’Connor, owner of The Striped Tomato in Virginia Beach, teaches free sewing classes for veterans and their families through Armed Services Arts Partnership. (Courtesy of Striped Tomato)
“My wife Kim has always had an interest in supporting spouses in the same way as she knows first hand that the military spouse carries the weight of the entire family when their loved ones deploy,” he said. “I hope the veterans have a great time and tell their veteran friends and take away an interest in woodworking or sewing. I want them to achieve some peace and comfort in the often very stressful military family life.”
Gallardo said his family was involved with Armed Services Arts Partnership previously and has always loved it.
“It lets you try something out you might not have thought about doing without a whole lot of investment,” he said. “It’s also nice to be around other veteran families. We all have similar stories.”
The nationwide organization has 6,000 alumni from all 50 states. Veterans and their families can go to asapasap.org to find up-to-date course releases and registrations in their local area.
“People keep coming back again and again because ASAP is a place where veterans find deep camaraderie, confidence and conviction that they’re in the right place,” Jenkins said. “We don’t just offer free classes. We’re a community.”
Lee Belote, jlbelote@verizon.net
O’Connor Woodworking in Virginia Beach offers free woodworking classes for veterans and their families through Armed Services Arts Partnership. (Courtesy of O’Connor Woodworking)
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