The President's Corner - May 2012

As you know, at each meeting I recognize someone who is particularly valuable to the club. This past meeting I spoke about Sue Eckard. Many of you who are newer to the club may not know Sue as she is rarely able to attend these meetings, but she provides a wealth of support to us. She, along with her daughter (Diane Philyaw), give us the use of their shop and machinery to make the majority of our T4Ts general club givings. Sue has been a member of TWA for nearly 20 years and possibly longer as her late husband Bill was a member until his passing in 1998. Sue and Diane dug their heels in deep to fulfill a dream (a dying wish of Bill’s) and host a Toys for Tots (his passion) workshop in his new shop. He unfortunately was never able to see what the ladies have done but they have certainly done him proud. He would be brought to tears knowing that the ladies are shooting for the very obtainable goal of 20,000 toys to come through their doors. They are 3/4 of the way there now. Fred Ford has stepped up to the plate and is spearheading the efforts the last couple of years as Diane’s health has been at issue and of deep concern to the entire family. And as those of you who attend the workshops up in Creedmoor know, Sue feeds the workers well. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of joining a workshop at Sue and Diane’s has come away with more than sawdust - they have come away with a sense of family and belief and honor to be a part of something great.

As required by our governing documents, I have appointed a Nominating Committee consisting of Fred Ford, Terry Tenhouse and Ed Mastin. They will be seeking 2 people to be directors for the coming 3 year term. Please see one of them if you want to volunteer to run for director or suggest someone else.

Starting with the April meeting and continuing for some time, we will have more than one raffle at each meeting. Largely through Pete Bucki’s efforts, we have been given a variety of merchandise to be used for the benefit of T4T. In this column each month I will be announcing what the T4T Raffle item(s) will be for the coming meeting. Currently we have a Worksharp Knife Sharpener valued at about $70, a Drill Doctor bit sharpener, and a Worksharp 3000. In addition, we have several 10 inch and 7 ½ inch carbide saw blades, compliments of Raleigh Saw. For higher value items which have been donated, tickets will be more than $1, and/or selling a minimum number of tickets will be required before a drawing. I am sure all will understand our desire for a fair value for these items while still giving our members a chance at a nice win. At the April meeting, we offered the Worksharp Knife Sharpener. If you want to investigate what it is, you can look online, or there is one set up at the Klingspor store. You can try it out there. Unfortunately, we only sold 2 tickets at $5. We cannot in good conscience allow the knife sharpener go with only $10 going to T4T, so tickets will be on sale again this month. Arrive a bit early to sharpen your knife and buy a ticket! Tickets will be $5 each. This is a Toys for Tots raffle and therefore is separate from our regular club raffle.

While we have eliminated most of the 1 person committees, there are still a few opportunities for members to help administer the club activities. I would like to add someone to the audio-visual committee and to the Facilities and refreshment committee. If you would be willing to volunteer for one of these assignments, please let me know. If one these does not fit well with your skills and/or interests, please let me know. I am sure we can find a way to allow you to help. We never let a good volunteer go!

I continue my efforts to increase membership in our Club and my desire to share our love for wood and ask my fellow members to invite a guest to visit and hopefully join. I am not suggesting a hard sell, but if you know someone who might enjoy us, please invite them to a meeting. To that end, we will have flyers available for you to give to your prospective guests.

Hope to see many faces in May!

President: Allan Campbell