New Lenox veteran gives back through craftsmanship

An Aurora organization brought new meaning to a New Lenox veteran’s life and helped him give back to others.

Samson Garcia, 38, a disabled veteran who served in the Army from 2004 to 2008, founded Veteran Wood Services LLC after he learned to hand-turn pens from Greg Zilioli, founder of A Call to Shoulders in Aurora, a program that teaches craftsman skills to veterans.

“He’s the perfect example of somebody who took advantage of what I was offering and really demonstrated what is possible,” Zilioli said.

Garcia creates pens to sell at the K9s for Veterans outlet store in Bolingbrook since he received his service dog through that organization.

Regina Lattuca, vice president of K9s for Veterans, said once she saw photos of Garcia’s “beautiful work,” she encouraged him to bring pens into the volunteer-run store.

“Samson is awesome,” Lattuca said. “He’s really grown in the program and in his confidence and his work. He’s just a phenomenal, phenomenal guy. And he really wants to help his fellow veterans.”

Garcia said he learned about A Call to Shoulders when participating in the Will County Veterans and Service Members Court after repeatedly being charged for driving under the influence.

This problem-solving court is a voluntary program that gives participants “the tools to overcome their addictions or mental health issues so that they can prevent further criminal activity and go on to live a healthy, stable and drug-free life,” according to the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office website.

Before Garcia’s last DUI, he was working four 12-hour days and watching his four children on his days off while his partner worked as a nurse, he said. His twins are 3 years old. He also has a 7-year-old, an 8-year-old and an 18-year-old.

“I was very stressed out without a lot of time to myself,” Garcia said. “I started drinking more and just getting kind of depressed and overwhelmed.”

Veterans court was “intense,” he said, but he gladly participated.

“I was taking any opportunity for any type of help I could receive at that time I knew would support me,” Garcia said. “I was open to anything.”

He said the veterans court program connected him to A Call to Shoulders. Zilioli needed 120 pens for a golf outing and offered to pay $20 a pen, Garcia said.

“The lady who called me said that I’d be a good fit,” he said. “We’d talked a few times, and she knew about my history in construction. So she gave me Greg’s number, and I gave him a call. We set up a day, and I went down to the shop and turned my first pen. The rest was kind of history. I helped them turn more than my share of pens for the golf outing and used the money to buy my equipment.”

Turning pens restored Garcia’s sense of purpose while providing the, “Wow, I can do this,” confidence to move forward, Garcia said.

“When I go to the shop in Aurora, I get to socialize with the other veterans that come in that day,” Garcia said. “I get to talk to them and learn from them, maybe learn from the mistakes they made early on in life. Or I get to meet younger veterans and work alongside them on different projects.”

In 2023, Garcia established his LLC and received his service dog, a 2-month-old puppy named Chance.

Garcia said when he feels lonely or detached, Chance sits beside him, even sharing the recliner when Garcia watches TV. The two also like taking walks through Pilcher Park in Joliet.

“He just makes me feel better,” Garcia said. “And he gives me purpose, too. He’s got to go to training, so he motivates me to go to that or even get out of the house.”

Zilioli said Garcia now uses his pen-turning skills to give back to organizations that helped him.

“I’m so glad the Will County veterans court allowed him to have this next opportunity,” Zilioli said. “He knew what he could have lost, and he’s absolutely making the most of this. I am so proud of him.”

[Samson Garcia] the perfect example of somebody who took advantage of what I was offering and really demonstrated what is possible.”

—  Greg Zilioli, founder of A Call to Shoulders in Aurora

Once Garcia was approved for disability benefits for his post-traumatic stress disorder, he could focus on self-improvement – including staying sober – instead of putting himself “on the back burner,” he said.

Garcia said he wouldn’t be where he is today without this support, and he highly praised the veterans court program.

“One of the benefits of the program is that – upon completion – you’re able to put that stuff behind you and move forward with your life,” he said. “If that program wasn’t available, a lot of veterans might find themselves getting into trouble, and there would be no way out of it, no way to recover from it.”