WANT TO HELP?
If your nonprofit organization would like to publish its wish list, please contact Meredith Moss: MMoss@coxohio.com Be sure to include a daytime phone number.
The last time we ran a solicitation for St. Leonard, readers were quick to respond.
“St. Leonard collected about 2,000 golf balls, enough wood to make 5,000 toy cars, enough Christmas cards and art supplies to stock two art studios, and a plentiful amount of plastic bags, which helped with our food pantry projects,” said Debra Stewart, director of wellness.
St. Leonard Franciscan Living Community is one of the largest senior living communities in the United States located on 240 acres of countryside in Centerville and home to approximately 800 residents. It’s the third largest employer in Centerville. The community offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, Rehabilitation, Memory Support and Adult Day Services. The Franciscan Center offers a Fitness Center, Day Spa and restaurant that’s open to the public.
The seniors at St. Leonard have a terrific project — producing wooden toy cars for needy kids. The idea came from Kettering resident Bernie Thompson, who suggested a Toys for God’s Kids idea and asked if residents would be open to using the woodworking shop at St. Leonard to make wooden toy cars for charity.
More than 3,780 of the cute wooden cars have now been delivered to needy children through food pantries at Catholic Social Services, Erma’s House, Vineyard and Greenmount churches. Cars have also been delivered by via military troops in multiple different countries overseas such as Afghanistan, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Uganda, Mexico, Ethiopia and many more.
Each car has “USA” burned into the rear bumper and the bottom is stamped with “Toys for Gods’ Kids by St. Leonard Residents.”
At the moment, those working on the project are Fred Pestian, Terry Holdcraft and Peter Kostoff, who is just turning 91. The men take advantage of their past and varied experience in sales, engineering, woodworking and manufacturing to produce a toy car manufacturing assembly line.
You can help by cleaning out your workshop or garage and donating the needed materials.
Here’s what they need for the toy cars:
• One-fourth inch wooden dowels
• Wheels: wheels are made from hardwood with tight-grain patterns. Commonly available hardwoods such as cherry, birch, oak, maple, mahogany, walnut and hickory make excellent wheels. Note that pressure-treated lumber cannot be used because it may contain chemicals that might be toxic.
For more information about the project, go to www.toysforgodskids.com.
St. Leonard can also use these items for other projects:
• Current music and movies
• Tickets to sporting events, entertainment (musicals, performances, etc.)
• Fine baby yarn
• Nintendo Wii’s & Wii Charging Stations
• 18” Doll Furniture (woodworking patterns provided if needed)
Donations can be dropped off at the marketing office, 8100 Clyo Road in Centerville from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information on the toy project or on the other materials requested, call Kelsey Swartzel, (937) 439-7147.
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