Lecturer Jim Passe recruited a fellow woodworker Tom Funk to speak to the knights about the 108-member Woodworkers Club (HSVW) and its community service projects. Tom complemented his presentation with photos and samples of toys.

An array of toys given away each year by the HSV Woodworkers

Monthly meetings are held on the second Wednesday at 6:30 – 9:00 pm in the Ponce de Leon Center’s Ouachita Room. Since the club does not have its own centralized work area, shop tours are held every two or three months and feature special how-to programs.

The purpose of the club is to foster an atmosphere that unites woodworking enthusiasts of every competency level by providing a forum that promotes sharing of ideas, techniques, skill development and creativity.

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One of its major community programs started in 2002 is the Toy Project in which 78 members are making over 450 toys and presents for deserving children identified by the following six organizations: Garland County Foster Parent Association, Benton Care Center, Ouachita Children’s Center, Hillcrest Children’s Home, Mountain Pine Head Start, and Mountain Pine Pre-School. The toys are presented at the November meeting. The members build and sell an additional 100 toys to offset the material cost of the donated ones.

This year there are 11 teams for the Toy Project with the following captains: Bob Porter, Harold Randol, Phil Visser, Jay Chandler, Mike Garstecki, Bill Badgett, Doug Jones, Elton Benson, Terry Jasicki, Ken Koepp, and Eddy Berk.   Some of the more popular toys include:bi-planes, cradles character banks, craft boxes, ducks (pull toys), fire trucks, footlockers high chairs, lap desks, log trucks, marbles and jokers games, matchbook car sets, P-40 planes, shut the box, and jewelry boxes.  Some women assist in the toy project by making two sets of clothes for each doll included with the cradles or high chairs etc..

The club also works with the Fountain Lake and Jessieville schools to donate 50 bookshelves to students who have made significant improvement in their reading skills during the year.  For the Mountain Pine School teachers' lounge the members made a large cabinet with mail boxes for all of the teachers.  They also donated pencil boxes to the National Camps for Blind Children, so the children could learn how to assemble the boxes on their own.

More information about the club can be found at its web site www.villagewoodworkers.org. Also, guests are always welcome at the meetings.