Invisible Wounds Project opens new support center in Forest Lake
FOREST LAKE, Minn. — Retired Hugo Navy veteran Danial Daloia likes to work with his hands.
"I've been retired, this keeps me going," he said. "I enjoy coming in and doing this stuff. If it wasn't for this (woodworking), I don't know what I'd be doing. Probably sitting at home and watching football."
He's helping craft a toy chest. He's made nearly 50. He does his work at the Invisible Wounds Project Support Center in Forest Lake.
"All this is set up to teach people on how to do woodworking," Daloia said.
Daloia helps fellow veterans, first responders, health care professionals, dispatchers and more master the art form. But it's more than that — to Daloia and his students, it's a form of therapy.
"I've been retired for 10 years from the military. My stress is way down — it's a good thing. And we've ran across a lot of people who need help," he said.
Invisible Wounds Project has been working to positively impact the lives of those who served since 2018, but the support center space is new.
"It's been really exciting to see people come in and connect with other people who understand them," Invisible Wounds Project executive director and founder Russ Hanes said. "That's the point of this whole building."
That connection with comrades helps open up the conversation surrounding mental health – the wounds you can't see. Hanes says hundreds of people walk through these doors each month, and on average, he receives one to two crisis calls a week.
"To be able to impact lives in that way is just so incredible to me," Hanes said. "Connecting is important. It is such a critical piece. So many of our people are missing that connecting. And this is a safe, healthy place to land."
Sometimes that lifesaving connection starts with a cribbage board.
"It helps. It just helps to have an ear to lean on and someone to talk to," Daloia said.
The Invisible Wounds Project relies heavily on donors and volunteers to keep their mission alive.
Next month the nonprofit is hosting a "Holiday Sip and Shop" event on Dec. 7. All proceeds go toward the Invisible Wounds Project's mission.
