My Nonprofit Reviews

VWI, A Student’s Perspective

Veterans Watchmaker Initiative (VWI) has been a game changer, not only for me, but for many veterans. The amount of time and energy Sam has / does put in this for us; it’s unreal. I can’t imagine what he went through to get this school started and I see the hurdles he goes through today.

The education here is truly incredible. Just this week (week 1) I have gone from being handed a brand new tool to crafting something with it! At first we don’t really see what skills we are building, but there are little bits as we go through class that connect the big picture for us. “Oh! I remember we did something similar the other week! I can modify that technique to make this work!” For me it’s incredibly satisfying when I have those lightbulb moments or when I have those “wow I can do this!” moments. I have accomplished things in these walls that I had never thought of even trying.


There’s another piece though. What Sam and the team at VWI do here goes way beyond the classroom. They ensure that we veterans have EVERYTHING we need. For example, a good portion of my time at VWI I did not have a car. THANKFULLY (I am GENUINELY grateful for these wonderful people here) the (seriously, all the people here are fantastic) volunteers here always made sure I could get to a store to buy whatever I needed whether that be groceries, misc. supplies, etc.


The work here at VWI provides an opportunity for us veterans to get out of everything and engulf ourselves in something positive. For me at least, when working, nothing else matters as everything fades. I am not mortal nor am I immortal. There is no life, and there is no death. I simply exist with this masterpiece of engineering; that rests on my bench before me. This piece of art that is to be respected, loved, and cherished as it has been by the one who wore it for the years prior to me meeting it. It has been on a long journey like me and with my help it will continue on the journey, and with the help of VWI I will continue on mine.


Thanks to VWI, veterans can come here and leave with a real skill set they can demonstrate with their hands, job offers, and an ability to get themselves established. We leave with a new beginning.