‘Helping Veterans Help Themselves’, Bay City learning center and workshop opening its doors

BAY CITY, MI - Leaving the armed forces and returning to civilian life is no easy feat for a lot of veterans. Your life used to revolve around doing everything as one unit. Whether that was eating, doing drills, or sleeping, every part of your life was done as a group.

But once it's time to head home, you’re 100% on your own.

"Part of what a veteran experiences when he leaves the military is that loss of camaraderie," said Mike Jamrog of the Bay Veterans Foundations. For two, four six, eight, how many ever years they were in the service, they always knew they had somebody behind them covering their back."

"Suddenly you’re out of the military and you’re responsible now for your own decisions," he added.

Luckily, the Bay Veterans Foundation is putting the finishing touches on a brand new facility in Bay County that is looking to embrace veterans, both young and old, as well as active service members.

The Bay Area Veterans Workshop and Learning Center at 1009 N. Madison is putting the finishing touches on its facility and getting ready to start up its programming. With the motto "Helping Veterans Help Themselves", the facility and its volunteers are working hard to give veterans the resources and outlets they need.

"The overall goal was to create an alternative environment for veterans just out of service or been out for a long time, to create a kind of safe environment," Jamrog said.

The building is split into two parts -- the workshop and the learning center. In the workshop, visitors get a chance to explore different types of woodworking such as lathe turning to make bowls and cups or precision work to make things such as ukuleles and custom art.

The workshop offers a huge variety of tools for visitors to use, including power tools and hand tools. The workshop has special gear such as a CNC machine as well, which precision cuts wood to the user's specification, allowing them to make things such as 3-D carvings.

"If your hands are busy, your mind is busy," Jamrog said.

The workshop is already getting some use before the grand opening. The facility is in a special partnership with the Bay City Public School District where students get to learn some valuable skills while forming positive relationships with veteran mentors.

Students from Eastern High School, Bay City's alternative school, have been working on special projects with veteran mentors in the facility's woodshop. Currently, students are working on building dog houses with the veterans.

According to Jamrog, this type of project teaches the students the basics and foundations of working on a full-size house.

This program has the kids hooked.

Jamrog said that the kids have to keep their grades up to go to the woodworking class with their mentors, so he's heard that some kids have been putting in extra effort in the classroom to make sure that they are able to keep on coming to the wood shop.

Resources and more

On the Learning Center side of the building, the space offers up quiet areas for classes and discussions or for simple socialization.

Veterans will get a chance to learn about the benefits they have earned through their sacrifice and service by connecting with those who can guide them, whether that be other veterans or advocates.

The type of programming offered by the Learning Center varies, whether it be lessons and safety training related to activities in the workshop or for mental health. Recently, the facility hosted a suicide awareness training.

"We’re big on mental health," said Keith Markstrom of the Bay Veterans Foundation. "A lot of veterans suffer PTSD, depression, isolationism, substance abuse, so we want to be able to have a safe, welcoming environment so they can feel part of that structure that we all knew when we were in the service."

To facilitate different programs and activities, there is a dedicated classroom-style space with a TV, desks and tables, a whiteboard, and supplies. Volunteers teach a variety of topics such as sewing, workshop safety, skilled trades and more.

While the facility isn't offering any official certifications in any trades, Jamrog explained that they can help connect those who are interested with the appropriate sources.

"We’re not into certifying anybody to do any particular job but we want to expose them to the great many things, kind of a pre-school type thing," Jamrog said.

This side of the building is also home to a quiet lounge where visitors can simply chat or do puzzles together as well as a full kitchen.

The lounge purposely is designed with tables and chairs where people can talk with each other as opposed to couches and TVs.

Getting here

It took quite a bit of elbow grease and hard work to give the facility a facelift. Crews worked on transforming the salmon and turquoise-colored brick building into the sleek, modern facility that stands there today on Madison Avenue.

The building was purchased in 2018 and, despite the COVID-19 pandemic putting a wrench in the process, it underwent a thorough transformation.

After the multi-year project, Jamrog and Markstrom were proud to say that the $1.2 million project is virtually debt free. According to Markstrom, 50% of the project was funded with governmental aid from the state and locally, over 25% was from local foundations, and the remainder was from individual donors.

To celebrate all the work that was put into the facility, the Bay Area Veterans Workshop and Learning Center is holding its grand opening from 3 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 11. The public is welcome to attend to check out what the facility is and what it all has to offer.

The grand opening ceremony will start at 3 p.m., which will include donor and volunteer recognition. An open house will follow immediately after the ceremony.

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‘Helping Veterans Help Themselves’, Bay City learning center and workshop opening its doors