On a warm, but overcast spring afternoon while rain gently drizzles down, I meet Jamie Harpster. At the time he is frantically trying to deal with a plumbing issue. Technically, an electrical issue that led to a plumbing issue.

While the second Hand Tool Haven fundraiser is going on at the county fairgrounds, Harpster, founder of Plane Wellness, the organization behind the event, has learned the power outage that hit the site also impacts the bathrooms. The water at the facility comes from a well. The well requires electricity to pump. No electricity means no functioning restrooms.

Despite the setback, he does everything he can to ensure the event carries on its mission.

Harpster’s own struggles with mental health gave him with a passion for helping others. His passion for woodworking gave him another means to do so.

Harpster, who has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, said woodworking gave him an outlet to cope with his disorder.

“Woodworking taught me patience,” he said. “It taught me to slow down.”

Working in the mental health field, Harpster wanted to find a way “to join those two passions” of helping others facing mental health issues and crafting wood, but he found that the options available weren’t accessible to everyone.

He noted in-person instruction and events could be expensive, often costing hundreds of dollars. Another option, learning online through videos on websites like YouTube, were inexpensive and often free, but lacked the ability to gain feedback from experts and fellow woodworkers.

According to Harpster, late one night, he had a moment of inspiration.

“A light bulb went off,” he recalled. “Why not give lessons away for free?”

Almost three years later, he and the organization he founded, Plane Wellness, has provided hundreds of free “seats” for instruction to veterans with disability ratings and others facing mental health issues or physical disabilities. He estimates the value of those seats if obtained through other programs to be over $58,000.

The organization has developed a long reach as well, having served people from 40 states across the U.S., including the District of Columbia, and seven countries.

Harpster said those numbers prove to him there was an audience and a need for a program like the one he founded.

Harpster said woodworking lends itself well to the organization’s mission.

“The more joy and peace they have in the shop, that improves their mental health and wellness,” he said.

According to Harpster, the feel of the materials you’re crafting in your hands, the sight of a piece taking shape as curls of slivers roll off it, the smell of cut wood and sawdust and the sound of the tools against the material all combine to create an enveloping sensory experience.

“It hits almost all of your senses and it grounds you,” he said. “Your brain is constantly active. It’s fully engaging. There’s always something to learn.”

Harpster said the organization’s activities are meant to provide an option to combat the feelings of going it alone facing the challenges of mental health issues and physical disabilities can cause.

“We trade isolation for community,” he said.

Harpster noted the Hand Tool Haven event is Plane Wellness’ biggest fundraising event.

“Most nonprofits have a gala,” he noted. “That’s not us, so we have a woodworking event.”

The event included a silent auction items and raffles that drive the bulk of the proceeds going to the organization, but it also served as a tool meet up featuring everything from modern offerings to vintage items and incorporates speakers and demonstrations for instruction.

Overall, the organization tries to keep the event affordable.

“We keep the ticket prices low,” he noted. “No other events let you hear the big names for that cheap. Other events cost hundreds of dollars.”

Harpster said the organizations work since it provided its first lesson in January 2024 is just a first step in a five-to-nine year plan.

In the long term, he envisions an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant center for retreats where people can stay on site, participate in classes and activities during the day, then relax as a community around meals or a campfire.

He also hopes to incorporate a museum and library and a shop that can double as a makers’ space for the community when not in use.

The group is getting closer to making that dream a reality. According to Harpster, after less than three years in existence, the organization hopes to secure land for a facility this year.

Making my way to leave the fairgrounds, I notice that at some point during our conversation, the light bulbs came on.