My wife and I are sponsering a woodworking contest to help sick children!

[ChetlovesMer]

I’m a sucker for Blank Children’s hospital here in Des Moines as I know they do not turn away children who cannot pay. I also know they run at a loss and rely on charitable donations to make up the difference. Little kids always get to me… and sick little kids break my heart.

 

 

 

Every year Des Moines hosts a charity event called the Festival of Trees and Lights. The basic concept is to have people (or companies) decorate Christmas trees, donate them, and then the Christmas trees and the decorations including lights and ordainments are auctioned off. All of the money from the auction goes to Blank Children’s hospital programs.

 

 

 

Everyone starts off with the same tree. You purchase the tree from organization that runs the event that way all the trees themselves are basically the same. Here’s a link to the event site: http://www.blankchildrens.org/about-festival-of-trees.aspx

 

 

 

Here’s a link to the hospital’s web-page:

 

https://www.unitypoint.org/blankchildrens/Default.aspx

 

 

 

For several years my wife and I have wanted to decorate and donate a tree. So we plan to buy a tree, decorate it, and donate it next year. Our thought is to decorate it with all handmade woodworking ornaments.  The trouble is I don’t think there is any way I could make enough ornaments to decorate the entire 6 foot tree myself.

 

 

 

So here’s the contest my wife and I are sponsoring

 

To enter you have to make an ornament (or anything else i.e. garland?) that can be hung on the tree. And send it to us to put on the tree. You will NOT get it back as it will be donated to be auctioned off with the tree.

 

 

 

Everyone will have more than a half a year to get their ornament made and sent in. … But you don’t need to wait until the last minute. I think we’d need to get the ornaments on, or before November 1^st, 2014 to have time to get it all together to put up the tree.

 

 

 

My wife and I are going to sponsor the tree and this contest:

 

• Here’s what I’d like to offer to get the contest going:

• My wife and I will pay for the tree.

• We will pay for the lights for the tree. (All trees must have lights.)

• We will gather (and photograph) all the ornaments. We can send you the photos to post. But we will also post them on the forum so that everyone can vote on them.

• We will put up and decorate the tree at the festival. (We will post pictures on the forum of the tree at the festival)

• We will report back how much money our tree raises via auction.

• If we get 25 ornaments or more donated to our tree we will provide a $100 L-N or L-V (winner’s choice) gift card to the maker of whichever ornament gets the most votes here on the forum. By the way, I don’t care if all 25 entries come from the same woodworker.

• We will then have another prize. It will be the other $100 gift card (LV or LN, which ever was not chosen by the voted for winner) for the ornament which my wife likes the best. This $100 gift card will be called the “Chet’s wife Prize”.

 

 

 

So, make a Christmas ornament and send it to me. You could be the winner of a $100 tool gift card. Plus, more importantly you will be helping raise money for some sick children.

[ChetlovesMer]

A couple of things I forgot to mention.
1 - not sure if I posted this in the right place. If need be the moderators can move this to a different part of the forum.

 

2 - James and his e-mag are going to try to be involved in the contest and more information about that will be coming as it becomes available.

 

3 - If you don't know what to make as an ordainment, you certainly can ask for some suggestions from me, James or the forum. Or just surprise us.

[Llama]

I'm in. I can put a loop or something on the back of a reindeer so it hangs on the tree.

[ChetlovesMer]

You're a good man, Mel.

My bride and I would be honored to hang one of your reindeer on the tree.

[Eric.]

Keep this thread bumped at least monthly as a reminder.  If I can't manage making one little ornament (what the heck is an "ordainment?") by November then I may as well throw myself off a bridge.

 

Good on ya, Chet.

[ChetlovesMer]

That's hilarious, Ordainment is goofed spellchecker speak for ornament.

I didn't even notice when I spell checked. Just goes to show what Chicago Public School Education can do for you.

 

I'll see if I can go back and edit it. Which might be a shame, because it is pretty funny.

[Llama]

I noticed it, and assumed that Siri got ahold of it lol.

[Tpt life]

Kudos for the concept. I anticipate participation.

[rodger.]

I'm in too. Is there a specific size that you feel is ideal?

[Spencer_J]

this is really cool Chet! i'm in. i had tons of ideas flowing for the previous holiday season, but then i ran out of time. a size maximum for a typical ornament would be nice to know, however anything that fits on a tree is fair game right?

[..Kev]

Chet, you might want to toss an address where you'd like them sent unless you'd like to do that via pm..  

[Countryside Workshop]

Count me in! Hmmm, I wonder if I can make one a month. Challenge accepted.

[jmaichel]

Really liking this idea Chet and we are still trying to figure out how the magazine can get involved. I will certainly write an article about it but I will also reach out to a couple of our sponsors to see if they can kick in  a couple prizes. 

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay yeah, I guess you'll need my address.

Chet Seymour

1203 NE 47th Street

Ankeny, IA 50021

 

If you need phone number 515-868-8042

 

Be sure to IM me before you send stuff so that I can be on the look out for it.

[prov163]

Checked out the hospital website and see why you think it's a worthy cause.  I'm in.  Not sure what I'm going to make, but I feel like Eric.  Worse case scenario, we can jump off the bridge together - hehe.

[Countryside Workshop]

Ok this thread has been dead long enough. Lets get this thing bumped and get more people involved.

[ChetlovesMer]

Okay, I'm back and this contest is still on.

What I'd like is to respond if you'd like to participate. Just let me know if you are going to try to make an ornament.

I've already put in for the tree and have the gift cards for prizes. So let me know if you are interested. You can also IM with questions.

 

[Countryside Workshop]

I am sending some

[Eric.]

My tools are all dusty (not the wood kind) and there's no end in sight.  I can't make a commitment but I'll whip something up last minute if I can scrape together an open afternoon at some point.  I might be throwing myself off a bridge in the not-so-distant future.  It's nonstop these days.

[Tpt life]

I intend to participate and am in the "searching for inspiration" phase.

[Llama]

Thanks for the reminder! I'll get the reindeer on the way this week.

[Byrdie]

I'm going to "ditto" Eric.  I've got a lot of things going on at the same time now but am anticipating a slow down in late September.  I have the best of intentions but am not sure I can commit.

[Boatworks Today]

I'm in.  Have a few ideas what I could do.  I'll spend my birthday in early Oct playing in the shop as a b-day present to myself .  I rarely have a chance to do woodworking anymore so it will be a nice treat.. 

 

Edit:  This thread needs to be kept Bumped as a reminder for everyone!

[Coop]

My Christmas decoration capabilities leave a whole lot to be desired so...I made a deal w/ Fretless Llama....Now there's gonna be two Mel deer in the tree:)

[Coop]

Chet, I realize it's not even Labor Day yet but Boatworks is right, need to keep this at the top. Are you still needing more ornaments?