• January Turning Challenge: Thin-Stemmed Something! (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Scott Gordon for "Orb Ligneus" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 20, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Giving Back

D

dbonertz

Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
316
Likes
53
Location
Fort Collins, CO.
The Front Range Woodturners (Denver area) and the Rocky Mountain Woodturners (Northern Colorado Area) collaborated to turn as many bowls as they could for the Beads of Courage program. The Beads of Courage program is for kids under 18 who are battling illnesses such as cancer and etc. Artist from around the country make beads for these kids and when they go through treatments they are given beads for their courage. These kids need a place to keep these beads thus the loosely lidded bowls, boxes and containers. The AAW sponsors this program and collects bowls at the annual symposium and gets them to the Beads of Courage program. I encourage all clubs to challenge their members and I challenge individuals not associated with a club to turn at least one lidded bowl for this program. We all love to turn things and we love kids, what a easy match to get involved in. Remember, if the child survives their ordeal they will treasure your creation for the rest of their lives. If the child does not survive their parents will treasure your creation for the rest of their lives. It really is win/win for everyone including you. Let's overwhelm these kids with our act of love and caring.

In the picture there are 136 bowls with lids and I know of another 26 coming from folks that did not make the last meetings. These two clubs will have turned around 160 to 170 bowls with lids for kids. Colorado Cares do you?

IMG_0222.jpg
 
Dale, that is impressive and a great challenge.
Pittsburgh will have,instant gallery tables where the Beads of Courage donations will be displayed. I will tell the COMITTEE they will need more tables Great job! Al
 
Here is a link to the Beads of Courage page on the SWAT website: http://www.swaturners.org/boc-main

There are some guidelines on size and design. I will add that the lid needs to be easily lifted and held by a child and the container should have a stable base and no sharp pointy finials or anything that will break when dropped. The recommended diameter is around six inches. Think of styling that is cheerful and attractive to a child (as opposed to our usual target audience) -- see the SWAT link above for some great examples and design inspiration from the last four years. Thanks to Al Hockenbery for helping to get the AAW involved.

Prior to woodturner's getting involved in 2010, the beads were kept in hand made cloth and leather bags made by volunteers. The wooden boxes provides more choices for the children.
 
Bill Boehme said:
Here is a link to the Beads of Courage page on the SWAT website: http://www.swaturners.org/boc-main There are some guidelines on size and design. I will add that the lid needs to be easily lifted and held by a child and the container should have a stable base and no sharp pointy finials or anything that will break when dropped. The recommended diameter is around six inches. Think of styling that is cheerful and attractive to a child (as opposed to our usual target audience) -- see the SWAT link above for some great examples and design inspiration from the last four years. Thanks to Al Hockenbery for helping to get the AAW involved. Prior to woodturner's getting involved in 2010, the beads were kept in hand made cloth and leather bags made by volunteers. The wooden boxes provides more choices for the children.
Click to expand...

Bill,

I had nothing to do with getting the AAW involved with BEADS of Courage or Empty Bowls.
I do however support the efforts both with words and bowls.
They are two charities that fit what we make.

I was so fortunate to see the SWAT BEADS OF COURAGE donations this summer.
It was incredible. Many of the boxes could easily sell for hundreds of dollars and they they were for the kids.

The Colorado table of boxes gives the AAW A GREAT start.

Got to start on our boxes....
 
The SWAT website has some information on it's participation in Beads of Courage program beginning in 2010 and that Craig Fyock, the owner of Wood World of Texas was instrumental in getting it going. We are fortunate to have such a fine business in the Dallas / Fort Worth Area.

I don't know if SWAT was the first group, but I would bet that the Dallas Area Woodturners club was involved from the beginning.
 
Dale,
We can't compete on a total turned basis, but the Northern Rockies Woodworking Guild is going to take a run at you guys based on Per Capita! See you in a few weeks, BTW.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top