DUPAGE WOODWORKERS MAKE TOYS FOR NEEDY CHILDREN

Dale Gustafson (left) and Rick Ogren (right) of the DuPage
Woodworkers Club

        We at the Humanitarian Service Project were ecstatic Friday to receive a truckload of wooden toys from the DuPage Woodworkers Club.  HSP provides birthday and Christmas presents to those children living in poverty. Currently, we serve 900 children with a 20-25 lb. “birthday box” each year, and will serve at least, 1,200 children with Christmas gifts this year. We would like to sincerely thank Rick Ogren and Dale Gustafson who dropped off the 1168 toys to our site in Carol Stream, and the rest of the club for helping us serve these needy children.

            Club members Rick Ogren and Stan Anderson are the volunteer organizers of this year- long toy project.  They have been doing this project for six years.  Rick recalled that the first year they ran the project they had 76 toys and this year they have made over 4,000. In addition to HSP, the club supports five other charities through this drive. The other charities that will be receiving toys from this club are Mutual Ground in Aurora, Downers Grove Family Shelter, The Darien Lions Club, Saint James the Apostle Church, and Midlothian School District 143 special needs program. The club handcrafts each toy, either as an individual or through three yearly group events where they make the toys in an assembly line. Dale, the club president, says, “Everybody has a great time making the toys each year and they are genuinely proud of their handiwork.” The club is always in the need of monetary donations as well as material donations to help them to continue their efforts.

            We would like to thank again this dedicated group for helping us make a difference in these needy children’s lives.

For more information on The DuPage Woodworkers Club, visit their website. http://www.dupagewoodworkers.org