I have participated in the Woodworker’s Fighting Cancer program nearly every year since I found out about it in 2014. The details are simple, each year a project is assigned and for every woodworker who completes the project and submits a picture a donation is made to a certain Cancer charity. I like to take my involvement a step further, and have auctioned or raffled off every one of my projects and then donated that amount to the charity. Over the last 10 years, we have raised over $100,000 for non-profits like Cancer Research Institute(CRI), Cancer Care, the Jessie Rees Foundation, the Jimmy Fund and the past two years we have supported St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Of that amount, my projects have raised exactly $10,720 to date.
- 2024 – Basket Weave End Grain Cutting Board
With the official Woodworkers Fighting Cancer program over, I decided to make another project on my own and continue the tradition and my donation to the cause. I picked this project out myself, and raffled it off as usual with every dollar of the raffle ticket sales going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
272 tickets were sold, which brought in a total of $2,720 which was donated to St. Judes!
- 2021 – Rolling Pin and Cutting Board
Matching rolling pin and woven cutting board set. Both are made from naturally colored solid hardwoods. No stains or dyes were used. They are made from mahogany, cherry, maple, oak, walnut, blood wood, yellowheart, and purpleheart. Both are finished with Walrus Oil, a food safe blend of coconut oil, beeswax, mineral oil, and Vitamin E. All lumber and finishes came from Koszela Lumber in Coventry RI.
This year there was no official Woodworkers Fighting Cancer program. However, I wanted to continue the tradition and my donation to the cause. I picked this project out myself, and raffled it off as usual with every dollar of the raffle ticket sales going to the previous year’s charity St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
263 tickets were sold, which brought in a total of $2,630 which was donated to St. Judes!
- 2020 – Child’s Desk
Basic child’s desk. Made from solid red oak and red oak plywood. The idea behind this project was to help with children who are homeschooling due to the pandemic and may not have a place to work.
- 2019 – Elevated Dog Bowl
Elevated dog food and water bowl. The top is made from solid cherry and the base is made from poplar. Features two removable bowls for easy cleaning.
- 2018 – Sandbox Digger
Sit on top sandbox digger made from solid red oak. This year, due to the program founder’s father passing away, there was no official Woodworkers Fighting Cancer program. However, I wanted to continue the tradition and my donation to the cause. I picked this project out myself, and raffled it off as usual. The donation page for the previous year was still active, so I donated the auction proceeds to that chairity.
- 2017 – Adventure Frame
Mario Bros adventure frame. Made from solid mahogany with contrasting maple splines in the joints for style and structure. The background was printed and laid inside the frame, then I placed the characters and filled it about half way with clear resin.
- 2016 – Castle Bookshelf
Castle Bookshelf with working drawbridge and realistic looking stone paint on the sides.
- 2015 – Kids Table and Chairs
Kid sized table and chairs. Built with knock-down hardware so that it full disassembles and all of the pieces store inside the top. When assembled, the top opens and toys can be stored inside.
- 2014 – Toybox
Toybox with whiteboards on the front and the back, and built in book storage on both ends. Features a full length piano hinge and a dip in the front lip to hopefully prevent pinching of little fingers.
