Build For Hope. Reclaiming Lives.
I’ve been known to collect things from dumpsters, behind buildings, yard sales, etc, and my wife even accuses me of being a pack rat. You’ve heard the saying “One man’s trash, is another man’s treasure”? I’ve found this to be true in many situations.
Along with my passion for music, I have a passion for creating and building things out of wood and junk that I’ve come across in my travels.
When my first daughter graduated from Highschool, I built her what was my first attempt at a hope chest, from wood I was given that was lying behind a grocery store that had closed it’s doors. With the mentorship of my good friend and craftsmen Allen Houtz, a masterpiece was born. I then went to another friend the renouned artist Donald Allen and asked if he would paint my daughter’s favorite flower, a sunflower on one of the front corners. A few days later he called and said it was done. I was astounded beyond words, when I saw that he not only had painted a sunflower, but many of them. The front of the hope chest had become a masterpiece. What once was destined to end up in a dump-
ster now had a value you could not put a price on. I have since built four more hope chests, all out of reclaimed wood. The last one was for my other daughter when she graduated from High School as well. I went to my artist friend, who now was 85 years old and he painted another master piece of her favorite ower, the daisey. Another timeless treasure from discarded wood. I’ve called the UPS truck I drive “The Thinkabater” because many ideas have been born and become a reality while thinking about them as I’ve delivered parcels over the years. Having had many requests to do a live concert, I was inspired with the idea of taking my love of music and love of woodworking and combining them into one event. This is how the “Hope For Tomorrow” Christmas concert and “Build For Hope” benefit for the Food and Care Coalition came about. I’m hoping many woodworkers will come forward after reading this article and give to our community their time and talent for the love of building for this great cause. I have 200 year old wood on hand that came from an Opera House on the east coast, as well as wood that was reclaimed from a barrack out in Topaz on the west desert, that housed the Japanes people during World War II. The hope chest that will be built from this material will have quite a history. These one of a kind Hope Chests will then go on public display in a silent auction at the Nu Skin Innovations building in Provo, for 2 weeks prior to the “Hope For Tomorrow” Christmas concert. Creating these chests will do much in the great cause of reclaiming the lives of the patrons who enter the doors of the Food and Care Coaliton in Provo. The concert will be held in the same location at Nu Skin in Provo Utah on Saturday, December 6th. All proceeds from the auctioning off of these beautiful chests will go to the coalition. We all have value and something to other each other, that can make our lives more meaningful. Every dollar that is raised in this event equates to one meal and in feeding someone who’s in need. Come and join us in this great event and make a difference. Go to foodandcare.org and click your mouse on the title, “Hope For Tomorrow” to order tickets.