Distracted By Something Shiny

The R.J. Scheffel Memorial Toy Project is a non-profit that makes and distributes over 10,000 toys a year towards disadvantaged, homeless and other children in need across the state of Michigan. They donate to a wide-range of places; including children’s hospitals, after-school programs, Head Start, child abuse prevention centers, the Salvation Army and other holiday toy drives, just to name a few. I, myself, spent a good percentage of my childhood in and out of a children’s hospital and as a kid, I never thought about where these special toys and craft projects were coming from. I only knew that they were the one bright spot in a long line of doctors, tests and needle pokes.

Here’s what some of their handmade toys look like:



The R.J. Scheffel Toy Project’s workshop location recently suffered a fire, destroying many of their supplies, tools and already-made toys. But they haven’t given up hope yet. They are working to re-open the center and get back on track. With only half of their yearly order filled, they have a lot of work to do. This group of volunteers is made up of mostly retired persons who live by the motto: “People do not stop doing things because they get older; They get older because they stop doing things.” But they can’t do it alone! Besides the call for volunteers, they need money; to rebuild the workshop, to replace damaged tools and supplies.

And you can help! They’ve currently only raised about one percent of their monetary goal, so any little bit you can donate would make their day! And if you can’t donate, please re-post this and spread the word. I swear, I’ve never done a call to arms like this before, but dammit, these people need our help, so let’s show them what the All-Powerful Internet can do!

The R.J. Scheffel Memorial Toy Project homepage and donate button can be found here.