The St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Service Center in St. Joseph is an incredibly active, nonprofit organization that has been offering a plethora of activities, services, and programs to senior citizens in our area for forty-seven years. On Friday, October 28th, from 11 a.m to 3 p.m, join them in the presentation and open house of their brand new woodshop at the senior center.
“Our woodshop provides a safe environment for members who are interested in woodworking and other wood crafts which gives them the opportunity to gather and share creative experiences,” says SJLSC Executive Director Cindi McLaughlin. “There are no woodworking facilities in our area, and we are thrilled to be able to have a place for our members to learn, socialize with other people with a common interest, and produce handcrafted treasures for themselves or as gifts.”
The idea struck former Board President Rick Freridge, after visiting a facility in Holland that offers a state-of-the-art woodworking space to the community. It didn’t take long to get the rest of the board members excited about the possibility, and soon the SJLSC was working to make this dream a reality.
“According to a study published in the journal Neurology, seniors who participate in crafts like woodworking are forty-five percent less likely to develop mental impairments,” Cindi says. “Woodworking is a “whole brain activity”, which means that while your right brain is stimulated by sensory inputs, emotions and creativity, the left brain is also engaged in number crunching and logical construction. Woodworking is a great benefit to our minds.”
This new program was a massive undertaking, and would require financing from grants and donations to achieve. “Last Fall, we applied for a grant from The Frederick S. Upton Foundation, and in December we were notified that we had received a $50,000 grant,” says Cindi. Plenty of additional fundraising would still be required, as with the hiring of architects, updates to the buildings’ electrical, and the purchase of many large tools and machines, the total cost for the new wood shop neared $90,000.
Cindi tells us “This project started with a grant, but could not have been possible without the extreme generosity of many of our members. Countless monetary donations were made, along with tools and wood donations. Our membership really stepped up to the plate on this one, and made what at times seemed like the impossible, possible. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED US!”
Plans for future wood shop classes include making birdhouses, picture frames, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, chairs & benches, tool & jewelry boxes, advanced lathe bowl making, and so much more. All members of the new woodshop will need to take a mandatory Equipment & Safety Orientation class, though there will always be a trained volunteer present. The senior center welcomes skilled and novice woodworkers to join the woodshop, and new classes are already in the works.
Donations for the continued operation of the woodshop will be open all year, to cover the cost of supplies, tools, and utilities, and multiple fundraiser ideas have already presented themselves (a cornhole tournament is definitely in the center’s future). The St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center staff is small but mighty, and volunteers are always welcome.
The SJLSC provides a wide array of activities and programs for members: from hosting holiday parties, outdoor concerts, exercise classes, and sports fun, to offering technology help in the computer lab, and aiding in transportation to and from local medical appointments, the community built within the walls at 3271 Lincoln Avenue is ever-growing. To become a member of the St. Joseph-Lincoln Senior Center, you and/or your spouse must be 60 years of age or older, and you can find more information at sjlsc.org.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
