HCF Presentation To APC

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Dick Harold and I'm here representing the Home Craftsmen Forum. 

The Home Craftsman Forum is a non-profit organization having as its objective the presentation of educational programs and demonstrations of interest to home craftsmen.  In addition to our regular meetings and activities, we have a group of dedicated woodworkers who volunteer their time and talents building wooden toys.  These toys are given away to needy children at Christmas, children who might otherwise not have an opportunity to receive a gift during the holiday season.  This year the HCF donated 1,875 toys to 16 organizations serving disadvantaged children.

The idea of providing toys to needy children began almost from the first days of the club in 1948.  Originally the HCF sought damaged toys from department stores, repaired them and then distributed them at Christmas.  As you well know, both department stores and toys have changed over the years.  Toys that have been damaged in shipment or in stores while on display are no longer available for a variety of reasons. 

As a result, the club expanded into building toys from scratch using ideas, design and plans gathered from a variety of sources including woodworking magazines.  Previously these toys were cut out, assembled and finished in member's home workshops.  As time went on, it became apparent that this program appealed to many woodworkers but was limited in participation either due to the lack of skills and training or because of a lack of equipment and shop floor space. 

A few years back, an HCF member, Fred Staggs I believe it was, came up with the idea of having several members gather together at a central location to build toys.  It was through his efforts that the first "Toy Shops" came into being.

Over the past few years the HCF has enjoyed the use of the Automatic Pool Covers Wood Shop facilities and equipment. This has made it possible for many HCF members on the north side of Indianapolis to have a convenient meeting place where toy construction can be done in comfort and safety. 

Because of the generosity of people like Mike Shebek and APC the HCF has been blessed with the opportunity to help many disadvantaged children right here in Central Indiana. 

We members of the HCF understand that Mike and his company are in the planning stages for an ambitious expansion program, one that will take APC into many new markets in the Midwest. 

In appreciation for Mike's willingness to put up with all the dust, with all the clutter, with all the scraps of wood, and because we want to be a part of this expansion too, we want to present Mike with some equipment we feel will help him in his efforts to advance the goals of APC.

In order to move the expansion efforts forward, we, the HCF members of the Christmas Toy Project, would like to present Mike with something useful.  Part of the expansion will require the enlargement of the existing APC warehouse and office building.  Therefore we are presenting Mike with some construction equipment that surely will be a vital part of his ambitious expansion efforts. a cut-off saw, a bulldozer, a dump truck and a semi-tractor/trailer truck.

(These all were wooden toys.)

We realize that any expansion efforts surely will require additional employees.  With this increase in numbers, Mike will be hard pressed to keep his eye on everything going on in the new operation.  In an effort to assist Mike in his new roll of operating a mega-company, we  want to present him with a tool that is sure to be of great help toward his hands-on management goals. a periscope.

(Again, a wooden toy.)

On behalf of Dick Brown, myself and all of us at the HCF, thank you, Mike