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Building Up To The Season

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By ANGELA DELGADO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2007

Additional photos

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Santa's elves recently were working double time to assemble wooden toys for needy children.

The "elves" were members of the Woodcrafters Club of Tampa, who met to glue on the axels and wheels of the wooden cars that make up part of the 1,063 toys the group was giving away this holiday season. Members and volunteers used Almand Hall at the Broad Street Baptist Church, 3809 Broad St., as their workshop.

The Woodcrafters, established in 1982, have been making wooden toys - including trains, planes, cars, puzzles and jewelry boxes - for the past 15 years. Member Angel Ranon came up with the idea, and the group made 50 toys the first year. The number of toys has significantly increased since then.

"I just thought it was a nice thing to do," Ranon said. "We knew there was a lot of need."

Members estimate that they have given away at least 15,000 toys.

The Woodcrafters donate to organizations such as the Child Abuse Council, The Children's Home, Joshua House, and Project Link. The wooden toys are left unpainted, which creates new activities for some of the organizations.

Maria Lewis, coordinator of volunteers for the Child Abuse Council, said the parents get together with the children to paint the toys. The organization collected 4,500 toys from various groups for the 250 families it serves, Lewis said. Those families have a total of about 700 children.

The wooden toys "have all the moveable parts," Lewis said. "I think they are absolutely wonderful."

Tara Stalnaker, development specialist with Joshua House, a program of Children's Home Society of Florida, agreed.

"They're very special because they're unique toys," she said. "It's very rare that children get something handmade that was made special for them. It helps them with their self confidence to have a one-of-a-kind toy."

Although the Woodcrafters tend to lean toward making cars and airplanes, President Douglas Packard said they will be making more girl-friendly crafts - cribs, dolls, jewelry trees and cradles - next year.

The club also donates items such as handmade purses because "girls don't have much use for toy cars," club member Mercy Trujillo said.

"We're primarily woodworking, but we also encourage other talents," Packard said.

The wooden toy donations take all year to make, and the effort is the club's big yearly project - "probably the most fun thing that we do," Packard said. The club is also involved in making hand-propelled wheelchairs that they donate to developing countries.

The Woodcrafters also teach a continuing education shop class at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry Campus, 4001 Tampa Bay Blvd. Classes are 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.

Although the Woodcrafters make the toys, the group also gets helping hands from volunteers such as James and Rosa Powell. For the third year in a row, they have helped the Woodcrafters assemble the last parts of their toy cars.

"We just felt we wanted to help," Rosa Powell said. "They have so many toys. There are a lot of children who don't get too much for Christmas. It makes you feel good to know children who don't have a lot will receive something for Christmas."

Woodcrafters member Richard Stillwagon has been a member for nine years and has been participating in the toy project for just as long.

"It's fun because you sit around and talk to everybody," he said. "It's a good time, and it serves a good purpose, too. It's something the kids enjoy."

The group has been delivering the toys to various organizations since finishing its toy project late last month. Members don't get to give the children the toys personally, but they have received notes and letters from appreciative children. To the group, that is quite touching.

"These guys are all pretty humble guys," said Mark Kimball, chairman of the toy committee. "They're the kind of people that want to help others; with woodworkers, it goes with the blood. If they can help people, they do it, not for the glory; it's just the right thing to do."

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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