Press Release for the
RCWA Toy Deliveries – December 2023
For the 16th year in a row, the Rapid City Woodworkers
Association (RCWA) will be donating handmade wooden toys to local groups who
work with children in South Dakota. The
following organizations are on the list this year:
Rapid City, SD
Youth and Family Services - Prenatal to Five Headstart
Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity
Cornerstone APARTMENTS
Black Hills Pregnancy Center
Airmen and Family Readiness Center, EAFB
Black Hills Chaplains Association (BHCA)
The Club for Boys
Catholic Social Services
The HOPE Center
SD National Guard
EAFB Youth Programs, EAFB
Working Against Violence Inc
Monument Pediatrics
Other Locations:
Beatrice Schools, Beatrice, NE
Cheyenne River Youth Project, Eagle Butte, SD
First Methodist Church - Irwin, PA
South Dakota Veterans Home, Hot Springs, SD
Foster Parent Association of the Northern Hills, Spearfish, SD
Kinship Mountain Ministries, Sturgis, SD
St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), PA
The Toymakers in the
Rapid City Woodworking Association (RCWA) have been working all year to finish
the toys in time for Christmas giving.
This year, this group of 40 active Toymakers finished 4,263 handcrafted
wooden toys. Many toys were given to
children at special events during the year, but 3,376 toys will be delivered to
local charitable organizations who work with children in South Dakota and
beyond, this week.
The toys for Christmas giving will be packed for delivery on
Saturday morning Dec 2, 2023, in the Wood Shop in the basement of the annex to
the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at 910 Wood Ave in Rapid City, SD. They will be delivered (at no cost) to 30
groups in South Dakota. Most of the toys
will be delivered that same day.
In 2008, the group made and gave over 400 toys to the Club
for Boys, WAVI, and Benji’s House. The
number of toys produced since then has increased each year. The number of individuals involved in the
program has increased as well. For those
interested in numbers, a summary of the toy making progress is shown to the
right:
One organization receiving a
portion of the toys is the Youth and Family Services in the Black Hills. Over 700 children are involved in the Youth
and Family Services in the Black Hills from as far north as Spearfish, and as
far south as Edgemont. The woodworkers
have received very positive feedback from all groups that have received the
toys, as they are excited that they have been included in our toy program. Another group receiving toys is the Cheyenne
River Youth Project in Eagle Butte who are conducting a Christmas Toy Drive to
fill Santa’s lists for about 1,500 kids in their area. The military groups in our community are also
given toys, including EAFB Airmen and Family Readiness Center, and EAFB Youth
Programs, the South Dakota National Guards, and the South Dakota Veterans Home.
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We have completed all of the toys for 2023, but if anyone
would like to help build and assemble toys for the 2024 Toy Program, we can
always use an extra hand. Members donate
their time and equipment, but we can also use donations of surplus wood or
monetary donations for operating expenses.
We moved our Toymaking shop to the WOOD SHOP in the annex to Our
Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rapid City, SD in August 2021. Call Bob Buchanan at 348-2865 or Rick
Weisbeck at 605 431-4708 or check our website
http://www.rapidcitywoodworkers.com
for more information: Monetary donations
can be mailed to our RCWA Treasurer Tony Verchio at 143 Rainbow Ridge Ct, Hill
City, SD, 57745.
The mission of the RCWA is to promote woodworking safety,
skills and knowledge, for the amateur, professional and student
craftsperson. The RCWA was formed to
meet the needs of the woodworkers in the Rapid City area. We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at
7:00 p.m. at the Our Redeemer Lutheran Church at 910 Wood Ave in Rapid
City. We cordially invite men and women
of all ages who have an interest in woodworking to attend our meetings. No experience is necessary for
membership. Membership dues are $25 a
year. Please come and share the
experience, ideas, techniques and the mutual enjoyment of creating with wood.
The RCWA exists for two main reasons: (1) To exchange
information that will enhance the enjoyment and skills of woodworking; and (2)
To promote woodworking as a hobby, as a profession, or anywhere in
between. This includes promoting
woodworking safety, teaching and helping other members, enhancing the quality
of life for underprivileged children of the Black Hills by making and distributing
wooden toys to charitable organizations in the local area, and supporting
community service organizations thru volunteer woodworking activities.
For more information, contact Bob Buchanan at (605) 348-2865
or Rick Weisbeck at (605) 431-4708. Or
go to our website at http://www.rapidcitywoodworkers.com.
