By Sara Martin
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

April is National Volunteer Month, and nowhere is the spirit of community service more evident than at Eagle’s Trace.

For the past two years, members of the Eagle’s Trace Woodworkers club have been contributing their time and talents to make toys for underprivileged children in partnership with Child Protective Services (CPS). In 2007, the group donated more than 150 toys; this year, it hopes to donate closer to 200.

Wooden cars, trucks, tugboats, jigsaw puzzles, and doll furniture are among many items that the children receive on special occasions  like birthdays and Christmas.

“The kids feel so special because they know the toys are made especially for them,” says CPS Community Initiatives Specialist Bernadette Cashin. “[The toys] are lifelong keepsakes the children can cherish for years.”

This is one service project Eagle’s Trace residents are keen to get behind. “It’s personal, it’s local, and [the children] appreciate it,” says Keith McCoy, a former aircraft mechanic and furniture maker who lives at Eagle’s Trace.

Inspiration all around
Inspiration for the toys comes from many sources. Gerald La Rose, a retired accountant, is a founding member of the Woodworkers. When he learned that players from the Houston Texans football team visit with the children in CPS care, he designed a plaque in the shape of a football where the children could display the players’ autographs.

The Woodworkers don’t have to look far for support. Members of the Doll Makers group and the Eagle’s Trace Quilters supply the dolls and bedding for doll beds. Home Depot donated a gift card to cover the cost of materials.

The group even enjoyed some local publicity last year when channel 2 (NBC’s Houston affiliate) featured the Woodworkers and their efforts in a news  segment.

“After the segment aired, we received several calls from people wanting to donate lumber,” says La Rose.