We are 13 old geezers and 1 younger guy who help at-risk children get a fair start in life by making & donating high quality learning toys.
832 Blacks Road
Hebron, OH
43025
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Craftsmen for Kids consists of nine old geezers whose woodworking passion has become a lifeline for Head Start teachers and others serving at risk children. “Some of these children come to us having never used a fork or spoon, just eating with their hands,” said a Head Start classroom volunteer from Ohio’s Appalachian area. “We have to teach ‘em how to use utensils. The meal and snack we feed them are often the only food they get that day.” Now our passion has outgrown our personal budgets. So far we’ve spent over $7000 of our own money on lumber and other materials creating learning items for struggling Head Start classrooms and similar programs, but we are on fixed incomes and cannot continue to fulfill the genuine needs brought to our attention. We learned that while government funding pays for the rent, modest salaries, and the children’s food for Head Start and similar programs, there isn’t much left over for the learning tools the centers need if they are to have any chance at getting these 3-5 year-olds ready for school and life outside the home. Some programs also serve children ages 1-3. Craftsmen for Kids creates high quality, hardwood learning tools for Head Start classrooms, battered women’s shelters, and similar facilities serving at risk children. As word spreads, requests for our creations has grown dramatically and now we try to keep up with needs in over 150 classrooms in 20 counties. Others are on a waiting list. Every cent we raise through GoFundMe.com goes to the purchase of lumber, paint, glue, shop consumables, etc. to make more learning tools and related items for area programs serving the needs of these children. We will continue to cover tool, and travel expenses out of our own pocket. We always need more and more good hardwood and kid-safe finishes for these quality and durable learning aids. So far we have made and donated over 3,500 quality hardwood learning tools which, if purchased from the customary school supply catalogues, would have cost these programs over $225,000.
Recent changes in our operation have increased our expenses significantly. We lost our free warehousing and now rent two storage units in nearby Hebron. That costs us $127 per month. In addition, we now have the expense of having our educational toys certified safe by the government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission. We have always taken great care to make all our learning tools kid safe, but now we’re required to have that confirmed by an independent testing lab. This will cost us several thousand a year.
Neither of these new hurdles have slowed us down. Working with child care professionals in Ohio’s poorest counties, we continue to develop, make, and deliver top quality hardwood educational toys for children in deserving programs.
