We’ve all heard the stories of a magical workshop in the north, where toys are handcrafted year-round in anticipation of the holiday season. A place where the workers are filled with joy by their mission of making spirits bright for children. While these stories may remain legend, Lowe’s knows of one enchanted workshop that fits this exact description.
The Toy Shoppe in Warren, Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five years ago, four gentlemen conceived an idea to provide fellow retirees a place to socialize and stimulate their mental and physical skills by working with their hands, all while doing something useful for the community. Coincidentally at that same time, local agencies felt there was a need for developmentally appropriate toys for underprivileged children in Warren County. The Toy Shoppe was born, making over 30,000 toys and distributing them at no cost to their recipients since it's inception.
When you put four wheels on something, a kid loves it!
“It starts from just raw materials and an imagination.” Says Gary Olson, a volunteer coordinator for The Toy Shoppe. “Everybody that comes here are very talented people and they're fun to be around as we make toys, and lots of them. We have guys who are 87 years old that are still making toys and loving to be here. It’s nice to see kids play with the toys because in this day and age, mostly they're on the phones, but when you put four wheels on something, a kid loves it”
Volunteers meet three times weekly all year to put wheels on things and craft a variety of creative toys for boys and girls of different ages. But there are costs and needs associated with the operation of The Toy Shoppe, so they went across the street to store #2614 to ask Lowe’s to get involved. Store Manager Charlie Bryant recalls his first encounter with Olson.
“Gary told me that The Toy Shoppe builds toys for the underprivileged kids in our community and that it was a nonprofit. So, automatically the light bulb went off in my head and we created this partnership from that day. Every year we try to make as big of an impact as we can, so this year we were able to replace their broken planer by donating a new Kobalt planer to their shop. It's one of the most rewarding aspects of my job. Not only myself, but our store, our brand, and our associates being involved in activities like this really puts a smile on the community's face.”
Beyond product and materials donated, store #2614 steps up when Bryant asks for volunteers to help The Toy Shoppe with the final touches each year in mid-December. Pat Williams a volunteer coordinator with The Toy Shoppe understands the value of Lowe’s associates’ volunteerism.
“They've given us tools and materials and all kinds of things to work with. But the one really nice thing they give us every year is volunteers who come and put in four-hour days for three days during the week. That's over 120 man hours over three weeks painting toys, and that really helps us.”
Charlie leads his store by example with enthusiasm and passion for the community and Gary recognized that immediately.
“When I first started here, I talked to a few people at Lowe’s, and then I met Charlie, and it was like a breath of fresh air. We give him a list and the next thing we know, we got a new planer and all kinds of stuff. It's wonderful, it really helps us out a lot and he seems to have so much fun doing it.”
