Our Mission
The Purple Heart Project's mission is to introduce physically and mentally Combat Wounded Veterans, still suffering from the negative effects of combat, to the peace and joy that can be found through the therapy of traditional hand tool woodworking.
Our Vision
We envision a community of Combat Wounded Veterans that share the joy and peace found through the bond of woodworking, are connected through and with the Purple Heart Project, and know that they are supported and never alone or forgotten.
Read What PHP Scholarship Recipients Have to Say
“....You have not only taught me how to work wood with hand tools, but you have also shown me how to work through my PTSD. Thank you for that. That is something I can never repay you in any lifetime. My wife told me that since I started using only hand tools, I have become more relaxed and that my nightmares have been
reduced...”
~ PHP Scholarship Recipient
“…. . Army Vet Mark from Idaho explained how it felt to return home after serving in Afghanistan, “You suddenly find yourself in a really disruptive life that you’re not used to visiting. Things are different. Life is different. Woodworking and using hand tools has been a turning point for me facing daily battles of recovery from combat…”.
~ PHP Scholarship Recipient
Army Vet Bill from Nebraska said, “….PTSD and TBI aren’t visible. A lot of people think maybe some are faking it because you can’t see physical scars or missing limbs, but that is so far from the truth. Everything we’ve done this week with learning woodworking has contributed to not only helping me regain some of the peace I have been missing in my life, but it has given me a sense of being valuable and able to do something…”
~ PHP Scholarship Recipient
WWI Veterans Doing Woodworking Therapy at
Fitzsimons, Army Medical Center, 1919
Woodworking as Therapy
Working with hand tools could be called quiet woodworking. To a Combat Wounded Veteran, sometimes that quiet and the focusing of the mind is just what he or she needs to see beyond the physical and mental pain of their day-to-day life. While there isn’t actual medical data about woodworking as a therapy, the craft allows people to divert their anxieties in a creative manner, let themselves get busy on a project, and eventually take pride in the result of their hard work. The Purple Heart Project is on a mission to help Combat Wounded Veterans find peace and joy through the craftsmanship of hand tool woodworking.
Our SponsorS
