By Setarreh Massihzadegan
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

In a work space they liken to their own basement, the woodworkers at Brooksby do more than build individual projects. They put their hobby to use year-round, making pieces for charity and their community.

“We enjoy the woodworking, and a lot of times if you don’t have anything to do, it’s kind of fruitless,” says Ron Donahue, who chairs the 50-member group.

Handmade toys
In addition to filling requests from their families, the artisans make wooden race cars and trucks to donate to the emergency rooms and pediatric units of the local Beverly and Salem Hospitals. When John Mangan went to bring about  three dozen toys to the Salem Hospital, the response from the staff he met there was pure shock.

“They said, ‘Oh my God, how many have you got there?’” he recalls. The hospital has plenty of toys now, but Mangan and the woodworkers are ready to donate more when necessary. The woodworkers continue to fulfill the mission of Brooksby resident Herb Greeley, who began making the toys years ago. Now Mangan and Donahue, as well as George Nesbitt, Calder MacDonald, Norm Benson, and others, see to it that the toys are made and delivered.

“I wanted to give [toys] to the children in the hospital because it’s something to be active with while they’re recuperating,” Nesbitt says.

Community giving
In addition to toys, the group makes plywood desk easels and inclines for handicapped students, which are distributed by the Pine Tree Society in Maine.

The woodworkers intersperse their ongoing outreach efforts with other projects that meet the needs of the immediate community. For example, Donahue says the group made bookcases for Brooksby’s library and a display rack for the campus thrift store.