Creative Woodworks & crafts-125-2007-Holiday, страница 16

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by Jeff Zaffino

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One of fhe biggest benefits to being involved with the scroll sow community is getting to know its members and learning cbout all of the fantastic ways they reach out to those in need. We marvel at the generosity these individuals regularly display, proving time and again that the well of human compassion is indeed still full, at least in our little scrolling part of the world. If is tremendously refreshing when individuals reach out to total strangers and share their blessings. It is even more meaningful when it is done without seeking reward or acknowledgement, and simply out of the hope thot their efforts have in some small way made the burden a little lighter and the day a little easier for someone less fortunate.

One group of scrollers has undertaken the monumental task of reaching out to the families of American service members who lost their lives in Afghanistan or Iraq. They coll their collective efforts "Project Freedom."

We here at Creative Woodworks & Crafts thought it was particularly fitting to recognize these scrollers in our annual holiday issue, not because their efforts ore holiday-related, but because of the unselfish generosity they continually display towards their fellow man. After all, what better time than during the holidays to reflect on what we hove and how we can better use it to serve a greater good?

"Project Freedom" is the brainchild of Gary Browning, who started the group out of his need to do something for his comrades-in-arms. Browning, o former Morine, said, "Being in the military, you form a bond with your fellow service members, and that bond carries over fo the service itself. When you see men and women dying for their country... you feel compelled to do whatever you can to help them in some way. This tribute is a fitting example of how this bond still exists loday.,.We just wont to do something to be a part of the healing...This is our talent and it is great to combine it with our need to help."

Gary Browning

Gary used his influence in the scrolling community to encourage over 450 scrollers to visit fhe group's website and become members. Although the number of people who have actually cut or developed o pattern is significantly less than that, the group has still managed to complete (at the time of this writing) 678 cuttings, with 667 confirmed delivered.

According to Browning, "The thing that motivates the members to stcrt is a sense of patriotism and the confidence they can do fhe work the project requires." Assistant project Manager Christine Yager adds that what gets the average scroller involved is simply fhe "great nature of scroll sawyers, as well as wanting to do 'something.¹

Completed portrait of SSGT Angel Mercado-Velazquez US Army Pattern developed by Christine Yager Portrait cut by Jack Larson

Completed portrait of L/CPL Jon Bowman USMC Pattern developed by Bob Crawford Cut by Mike Gosnell

16 ■ Creative Woodworks S. Crafts Holiday 2007