Crossed Arrows Creative Woodworking

Don Kenny is a Tri-Lakes veteran and woodworker behind Crossed Arrows Creative Woodworking. A former Special Forces member and trauma nurse, Don began woodworking as a personal creative outlet and found an opportunity to connect with others through craftsmanship.

His interest in making extends beyond the finished piece. Don values the focus, learning, and satisfaction that come from working with your hands. He also hopes to share that experience with fellow veterans, creating opportunities for camaraderie through woodworking—whether that means sharing stories or simply working alongside one another.

Bionic Sharks

We help teammates collaborate with others of all skill levels who are interested in engineering and technology with hands on challenges and designs. From brainstorming and prototyping to complex engineering and programming, we have all kinds of hands-on projects that range from small or big personal projects, to complex projects that require teamwork and collaboration with others.

Wildfire Creativity LLC

I enjoy working on all types of projects and materials as long as I get to be creative. I enjoy photography, crochet, sewing, quilting, working with stained glass, and coming up with ideas on how to do or create new interesting things.

Jeanette Breton (aka Chaos Buster)

I’m a techie at heart who enjoys figuring out how things work, exploring new tools, and helping people bring their ideas to life. My interests span robotics, 3D printing, digital fabrication, and the practical side of entrepreneurship—where an idea becomes something you can build, test, and share.

As founder and Executive Director of Monumental Impact, I bring people, equipment, and opportunities together so students and community members can learn through hands-on projects. I also serve as head coach of the Bionic Sharks FIRST Tech Challenge team, supporting students as they build robots, solve problems, and grow their confidence.

My favorite part of making is seeing someone move from “Could I do that?” to “Look what I made.” Whether I’m working through a design challenge or connecting someone with a mentor, I’m here to help curiosity find its next step.

Mike

I’ve always had an inquisitive, inventive, creative mind, and I’ve been formally involved in the “maker movement” for over 20 years. For me, 3D printing and Arduino-electronics were revelations that allowed me to achieve long-standing goals and fully unleash my creativity. I’ve added skills in CAD, coding and fabrication using heavy-duty tools like laser cutting and CNC routing across a range of materials to build bigger, more-complex and more-capable things. About half of what I build could be described as robots or automated machines, and I’m very active in FIRST Robotics (as a coach/mentor) and combat robotics (as a participant).

David

I’ve always been driven by curiosity. Whether it’s understanding how a complex electronic system works, learning a new manufacturing technique, writing software to solve a problem, or figuring out how to make something with my own hands, I genuinely enjoy the process of learning, sometimes more than the finished project.

My professional background spans manufacturing, engineering, RF communications, automation, and aerospace. I’ve worked on everything from custom cabinetry and millwork to satellite payloads. Along the way, I’ve developed skills in programming, electronics, embedded systems, CAD/CAM, and a variety of fabrication techniques. I’m also pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science, continuing a lifelong commitment to expanding my knowledge.

Outside of work, my interests are equally varied. I enjoy woodworking, leatherworking, watchmaking and horology, electronics, and experimenting with new tools and technologies. I’m particularly drawn to projects that combine different disciplines, where something learned in one area can lead to an unexpected solution in another. I rarely see a new skill as something outside my interests. Instead, I see it as another opportunity to expand what I’m capable of doing.

A quote from Louis Pasteur has always resonated with me:
“In the fields of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.”

To me, that captures the value of lifelong learning.

I don’t expect to ever reach a point where I’ve learned enough, and I wouldn’t want to.