Tag Archives: charity

What is a Penny Theater?

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I was working in our Shirlington showroom a few months ago when I received a rather odd phone call.  One of our previous customers was entering to win a grant from the American Physical Society.  This was not a typical type of phone call.

He was entering the grant with the help of his family to win money to build a new, improved Penny Theater for the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation and was hoping we would help.  I told him I was interested but I did not have a clue what a Penny Theater was… do you?

Long story short the Noyes Children’s Library Foundation and this wonderful family use the Penny Theater to teach children all kinds of lessons.  The theater is small enough to be carried from one place to another yet large enough to host a whole play on it using small caricatures.

I and the rest of Hardwood Artisans believe education very important.  If you are learning the mathematics of building hardwood furniture, why the sky is blue or the technique of social marketing it is important to keep on learning.  I knew Hardwood Artisans had to help with this great project.  I knew we could build an enhanced, updated an perfect Penny Theater.  Here is what an older one looks like:

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Kindling for a Cause

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My wife, Erika, doesn’t like to waste anything. Her mother came from the Old Country and frugality was a way of life in her house. After all, many immigrants arrived at the New World with very little. My family wasn’t as interested in saving and Erika saw me as wasteful when we merged our lives together. Over 25 years ago, when I started working in the shop of The Loft Bed Store, I would occasionally bring home a couple buckets of scrap wood; small, 0r randomly sized chunks of kiln dried cherry, oak, walnut, and mahogany known as mill ends. We’d use this in our small condo fireplace since we couldn’t afford to purchase seasoned firewood for our occasional fires. She couldn’t believe this stuff was just thrown out. (After all, her mother would have found a way to build a house with it or sell it on Ebay.) But in creating furniture, the fact is that every single inch of wood just isn’t usable. Though the shop guys are very cognizant of using each piece of lumber to its fullest potential, there are sap stains, splits and other irregularities that need to be cut around. Then each piece needs to be edged, squaring it up, and other trim scraps are added to the pile. Admittedly, it is tough seeing all this beautiful hardwood tossed. Well, not exactly tossed. We do send it to the local landfill, to be ground up with other things like yard waste and used Christmas trees. That mixture is turned into mulch.

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Lemonade Social Feature – 3-day Walk for the Cure

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Hardwood Artisans is excited to announce that Lois Gloor, our first original employee, has joined the Susan G. Komen 3-day for the Cure. It’s a 3-day walk billed as the “biggest, boldest event in breast cancer [research] history.”

Lois first became aware that the issue of breast cancer was increasing when one of her long-time customers at Hardwood Artisans was diagnosed with it. And then, her daughter’s future mother-in-law was diagnosed. Lois decided that there needed to be better ways to detect and cure the problem.

Lois's Daughter, the founder of the Gloor Bassler Group

“My daughter asked me to join her team to raise funds for cancer research. Since it involves walking 20 miles per day for three days straight, I’ve started preparing. Hopefully I’ll be ready by the date of the event.”

We’re positive that Lois will do great!

To help Lois get to the donation goal of $2,300 (hopefully more), we will have donation options available at our Lemonade Social. If you can’t make it out on July 16th to our Woodbridge shop, you can call 800-996-3DAY to donate for Lois Gloor over the phone or visit her page to donate online.

We’re excited to have such great opportunities available at our Lemonade Social and can’t wait for July 16th!

For more information about the donation process, you can visit the website at http://www.the3day.org. If you want more details on our Lemonade Social, visit our website.

Lemonade Social Guest – Friends of Homeless Animals

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You may notice a tent set up in the parking lot of our Woodbridge shop during the Lemonade Social this July 16th. Hardwood Artisans will be host to a charity called Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) at our Lemonade Social on July 16th. FOHA is a non-profit no-kill animal shelter located in Northern Virginia. They have been providing rehabilitation, rescue, medical care, and adoption services since 1972.  FOHA rescues dogs and cats from abusive situations, death row at animal shelters, or from owners who can no longer provide care for their pets. They will have a tent set up in the parking lot of our Woodbridge shop during the Lemonade Social, so you will be able to ask FOHA volunteers questions about their cause.

FOHA’s rescue vehicle is on its last legs and they’re trying to raise money for a new one. They use this vehicle to transport dogs and cats from kill shelters. It’s also the main way they gather food and supplies. This is where we (and you!) come in hand! Hardwood Artisans is hoping to help raise money during our Lemonade Social so FOHA can replace their current transport van. We are going to have a silent auction from 10am to 3pm with two items – a Hillgren Jewelry box and a square Plant Stand.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about volunteering, donations, and possibly about adopting one of the cute animals they have rescued.

Our Marketing Director, Julianne Yurek has been personally involved with FOHA, from participating as a volunteer at some of their events to adopting two dogs from them. We’re really excited to be able to help out and can’t wait to see how much money we raise for their cause!

For more information on FOHA or to look at the rest of the adorable animals they have up for adoption, visit their website at www.foha.org. If you want more details on the Lemonade Social, visit our website http://hardwoodartisans.com/lemonade.asp

A Sheltering Space

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A few weeks ago, I (Jennifer Sergent) asked the good people here at Hardwood Artisans if they might consider donating a piece of furniture to a local domestic violence shelter – the original post about the less-than-beautiful conditions is on my own blog, here.

Well, not only did they say “yes,” but they decided to build an entire room of furniture for the project, and designer Katie Grech is working on the overall design and color scheme. They also asked two local artists to donate paintings for the wall, and the wife of one of the artists, who is a potter, is donating a bowl.

Owner Ricardo Berrum, Katie, and our marketer, Julianne Yurek, went on a tour of the shelter last week with organizers from Knock Out Abuse, a charity that supports victims of domestic violence. They signed up to design the biggest of the shelter’s bedrooms, which needs to accommodate a family of five.

They will build a custom bunk bed with a trundle bed underneath for the project and a few other pieces.  Here are a few examples of what the bed will look like:

Bunk Bed in red oak

Bunk Bed in red oak

Loft Bed with Pedestal Bed, bookcase headboard and armoire all in maple

Loft Bed with Pedestal Bed, bookcase headboard and armoire all in maple

Loft Bed with Pedestal Bed, bookcase headboard and 4-dr dresser all in birch

Loft Bed with Pedestal Bed, bookcase headboard and 4-dr dresser all in birch

“We want to make sure everyone has their own bed. I really want to create a space that feels like home, that feels calm and makes them feel safe,” Julianne says.

This particular shelter houses families for up to four months, which is more than double the typical stay at most shelters, so it’s important to have a space that feels welcoming and home-like.

The beds, along with dressers they are also building, will be a light birch – a really strong species of wood that can stand up to the abuse of children and several people coming in and out. The color will also complement the blue-green colors Katie wants in there.

The color combination “is very serene,” Julianne says. “It’s perfect for a calming atmosphere, and warm enough so it doesn’t feel like a doctor’s office.”

Artist Bill Firestone is donating this 11” x 14” painting, which is in keeping with the colors of the room:

Bill Firestones painting he is donating to the shelter

Bill Firestone's painting he is donating to the shelter

“I think this painting could work well. There are nice greens and blues. It’s calming,” Bill says.

Bill’s wife, Stephanie, is donating this bowl, which can be used in the kitchen or dining area:

Stephanie Firestones bowl she is donating to the shelter

Stephanie Firestone's bowl she is donating to the shelter

In addition, local artist Romina Pereira is producing a custom painting specifically for the room.

The room already has a newly donated rug and window treatments, so Katie will be working with those. Also in the plans are a mirror and a comfy chair. At least one dresser planned for the room will be the proper height to put a baby-changing pad on top. The team is still contemplating how to accommodate all the storage needs in there, so the room doesn’t end up looking like it does now:

We all need proper storage space

We all need proper storage space

“Storage needs are really important,” Katie says, “because they accumulate a lot while they are there.”