Press Release for the
RCWA Toy Deliveries – December 2016
For the 9th year in a row, the Rapid City Woodworkers
Association 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:
Youth & Family Services - Prenatal to Five Headstart Programs (12
locations)
The Club for Boys
Working Against Violence Inc (2 deliveries)
Ellsworth Air Force Base - Airmen and Family
Readiness Center
Ellsworth Air Force Base - Youth Programs (2 deliveries)
The HOPE Center
LOVE Inc.
Eagle Butte , SD Cheyenne River Youth
Project
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
32 Toymakers finished 3,144 handcrafted wooden toys. Many toys were given to children at special
events during the year, but 2,161 toys will be delivered next week to local
charitable organizations who work with children in South
Dakota .
The toys for Christmas giving will be packed for delivery
this Saturday morning Dec 3, 2016, in the shop at the Club for Boys, and then
delivered (at no cost) to 21 groups in South Dakota. Most of the toys will be delivered that same
day. The last group of toys will be
delivered on Tuesday Dec 6, 2016 ,
at 9 am to the Youth and Family
Services office on Plaza Drive
in Rapid City . There we will have an opportunity to pass out
the toys directly to the children at the facility.
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. 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
|
2015
|
2769
|
2016
|
3144
|
17,459
|
The organization receiving a large
portion of the toys is the Youth and Family Services in the Black
Hills . Over 725 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.
Also this year, we are giving 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
2017 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 moved our Toymaking shop to
the Club for Boys at 320 N 4th Street
St in Rapid City , SD 255
Texas Street Apt 460 , Rapid City , SD
57701
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 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.
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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:
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