Press Release for the
RCWA Toy Deliveries – Dec 6, 2014
For the 7th year in a row, the Rapid City Woodworkers
Association will be donating handmade wooden toys to organizations in South Dakota . The following organizations are on the list
this year:
Youth and Family Services - Prenatal to Five Headstart Programs (9 at
various locations)
Working Against Violence Inc (WAVI)
Ellsworth Air Force Base - Airmen and Family
Readiness Center
The HOPE Center
LOVE Inc.
Needs Free - Sioux Falls ,
SD
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 small group of
20 Toymakers finished over 2000 handcrafted wooden toys, all of which will be
delivered next week to local charitable organizations who work with children in
the Black Hills and Sioux Falls areas.
The toys made this year will be packed for delivery this Saturday
morning Dec 6, 2014, in the shop at the Club for Boys and then delivered (at no
cost) to 16 organizations in South Dakota.
Most of the toys will be delivered that same day. The last group of toys will be delivered on Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014 , at 9 am to the Youth and Family Services office on Plaza
Drive in Rapid City . We will also have an opportunity to pass out
the toys to the children at the facility.
In 2008, the group made and gave over 400 toys for the Club
for Boys, WAVI, and Benji’s House. The
number of toys produced since then has increased each year. For those interested in numbers, a summary of
the toy making progress is shown below:
Year
|
Toys
|
2008
|
400
|
2009
|
1260
|
2010
|
1430
|
2011
|
1620
|
2012
|
2001
|
2013
|
2271
|
2014
|
2519
|
11,501
|
The organization receiving a third
of the toys is the Youth and Family Services in the Black Hills . Almost 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
organizations that have received the toys; they are excited that they have been
included in our toy program. A large
number of the toys will be delivered to an organization called Needs Free in Sioux
Falls . This
organization works with a large number of child-oriented programs. This year we are giving a large number of
toys to the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte who are conducting a
Christmas Toy Drive to fill Santa’s lists for close to 1,500 kids in their
area.
If anyone would like to help build and assemble toys for the
2015 Toy Program, we can always use an extra hand. Members donate their time and equipment, but
we can use donations of surplus wood or monetary donations for operating
expenses. We have moved our Toymaking
shop to the Club for Boys at 320 N 4th Street
St in Rapid City , SD 3010
Morningview Drive in Rapid
City , SD , 57702
The mission of the RCWA is to promote woodworking safety,
skills and knowledge, for the amateur, professional and student
crafts person. 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 is a local chapter of the South Dakota Woodworkers
Guild. 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) 431-7375. Or
go to our website at www.sdwoodworker.org.
Click on the link below to learn more about the Rapid City Woodworkers Association activities on the main page of the website:
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Click on the link below to learn more about the Rapid City Woodworkers Association activities on the main page of the website:
