Projects and Events

This page lists and describes DGWW events planned for the near future as well as our recent accomplishments. A list of upcoming events appears at the top, with closest dates first. Then we describe ongoing projects (with photos), followed by past events (with photos and sometimes videos), with the most recent events first.

Coming Events and Projects

• Youth Hours at The Rivet – Saturdays from 10:00 – noon on April 20, May 4, May 11 & May 25
• Rhoneymead “Arbor Day-ish” Bird House Building Event – April 27 Sarting at 10 am
• Jana Marie Foundation’s “JAM Fest” May 18 – Noon – 5 PM (Kazoo Building)
• Penns Valley Wood Shop Summer Camp – June 24 – 27 Mornings (3 projects / Middle School Kids)
• Jana Marie Foundation Tranquility Station #4: for Bellefonte – by the end of May
• TBD: Potential “inclusion focused Little Library” for a local park – Details TBD
• TBD: Potential Partnership with Volunteer Centre County, The Re-Store, and Adjudicated Youth
• TBD: Potential Project with Lifelink – Four two-hour Days – Small Projects Class – Details TBD
• TBD: Potential construction project for Strawberry Fields – L-shaped, portable Display bar with
backdrop – Details TBD

Past Projects and Events

August 11 – December 7 2023

More “Library Boxes” for Jana Marie Foundation’s Partner Organizations.

Following the success of our “Tranquility Station” build for the Jana Marie Foundation, we got a call form Joe Johnson, the project’s leader at JMF. Two of their partner organizations had expressed interest in hosting a similar project at their locations. We gave Joe a copy of a book about how to build these boxes that included 12 designs and plans and suggested that they look at options with their partners and get back to us. He did, and now we have two more requests to build boxes, based on plans in the book. (I remember a discussion among DGWW builders predicting that our first request wouldn’t be our last. We were correct!) We built two more, one is located at a church in Howard, PA and the other has been installed outside the YMCA in Phillipsburg.

September 23, 2023 – April 13, 2024

Youth Workshop Hours at The Rivet.

We offer woodturning activities for teens at The Rivet on Saturdays from 10am to noon. We’ve done this many times in the past (including October 28, November 11, December 19 and 16, January 13, 20, 27, February 10, 17, 24, and March 2, 16 and more listed below) and we’ll continue on March 30, April 6, 13, 20 and 27, and May 4,11,18, and 25.

November 28, 2023 – February 27, 2024 (Most Tuesdays)

Second Trimester Wood Shop After School Class at Centre Learning Community Charter School (CLC)

Based on our successful after school wood shop classes in the first and second trimesters last year, DGWW will again offer this after school class on 12 Tuesdays, in the second trimester, between the dates listed above. (No class on December 19 and 26.) We will be working with eight students, for one hour each week, and we are currently brainstorming project options that would be appropriate for the skill level and interests learners of this age.

August 5, 2023 (Saturday) 11am to 3 pm

11:00 am to 3:00 pm — Kazoo Making at the Rotary Club’s “Ice Cream Festival”

The downtown State College Rotary Club invited Doing Good with Wood to help them raise funds for their charitable work by offering a wooden kazoo making station at their festival on the 200 block of Allen Street in Downtown State College. We were there, with our popular kazoo making and playing popup workshop, and we made close to 100 Kazoos. There were times when the line was long, but we handled it well. We worked with kids until about 3:30 to let all who stayed finish up, and the Rotary Club of State College noted that when they thanked us at their next meeting.

JULY 31 – August 1, 2023 (Monday & Tuesday)

“Ready to Rivet” Camp at The Rivet in State College.

“Ready to Rivet was a two-day camp at “The Rivet,” a maker space in State College. Campers sampled several different types of activities available to them at The Rivet. DGWW was asked to lead a keychain turning/blank making event for 24 kids total, 6 at a time, with 3 turning while 3 were blank making, with 75 minutes allocated for kids to be at both stations. There were four 75 minute time slots on these two days.  Kyle, David, John, Glenn and Keith Nelson mentored. David, Kyle, Keith, and John supervised turning, while Glenn singlehandedly led the blank making. We all had a good time!

JULY 21 (Friday) 10am to 12 pm

Leann Andrews’ Wooden Rings Project.

Leann was referred to DGWW when friends learned that she wanted to make wooden rings for herself and her partner. We had not done this before, but we acquired a few new tools and gave it a try. Our prototype was successful, so we brought her in to share what little we knew about this type of work. It was a good day, and most of our attempts were successful. Two attempts at making rings from a tree that they had planted in her mother’s yard fifteen years ago split, because the branch wasn’t much larger than the hole needed in the ring, but we did get one from the branch and made two others. Leann was satisfied, and we now have a new project to share with others.

JULY 10 – 13, 2023 (Monday – Thursday)

All Morning – Wood Shop Camp for Grades 5 to 8 at Penns Valley High School — Week 1.

DGWW was approached by Heather House to conduct a woodworking camp in the Penns Valley area. She connected us with the school district’s Assistant Superintendent Sherri Connell who arranges their summer programs, and she was very receptive. Sherri connected us with Colin Phillips, the high school wood shop teacher, and after a brief, upbeat meeting we were planning two four day weeks, during which twenty kids would learn basic woodworking concepts by completing fun, useful projects. We enjoyed working with and learning from Colin, a bright, creative, skilled woodworker and problem solver, in the same room and with the same tools these middle school age students may use when they enter high school. The two camps filled up within two hours of the registration opening, and I believe I can speak for the entire group (students and mentors) when I say that everyone enjoyed the camp and completed all three projects, a dispenser, a clock, and a lamp, in just four days.

JULY 17 – 20, 2023 (Monday – Thursday)

All Morning – Wood Shop Camp for Grades 5 to 8 at Penns Valley High School — Week 2.

Week two of this camp brought another batch of students and even though the projects were identical, we faced a new challenge when the power to our section of the building was shut off prematurely. Our day ended at noon, and a construction-related power shutdown was scheduled for noon, but it happened at about 9:45. Fortunately we were ahead of schedule, and were able to drop back to hand tools and working outside, and it ended well, with all students finishing the three primary projects. Thanks again to all of the fine folks at Penns Valley SD and High School who made this camp possible. And a special thanks to Colin Phillips, an outstanding teacher.

JULY 5, 2023 (Wednesday) 10:30 – 11:30 am

Friends School – Assemble 12 Music Boxes with Pre-K campers.

Working with our youngest group yet (but with lots of help from the camp counselors) we assisted students in the assembly of pre-cut “houses” enclosing small 18 note music boxes. The students used glue and rubber bands to put the house together. When the music plays, the house spins on a metal base.

July 1, 2023 (Four months – Started March 1)

Alex’s Longboard Project

After experiencing our after school wood shop classes at Centre Learning Community Charter School, Alex asked Doing Good with Wood to mentor her and to provide access to our shops and tools to make a longboard. A longboard, as name implies is a skateboard that is rather long — about 40 inches in this case. The extra length provides stability for long haul traveling, while shorter boards are better in terms of agility, and better for sharp turns and tricks.

June 30, 2023, 10 am – 11:00 pm – Wednesday

Friends School – Assemble 40 Kazoos with campers in grades 2-4.

In our return to Friends School we had the opportunity to work with some very young summer campers. We had fun and were successful in building 22 kazoos with campers in grades 2, 3, and 4 and their counselors. These campers were a bit younger than our typical crowd, and working with 20 at the same time was a bit of a challenge, but we rose to the occasion. See images and videos below. Glenn, John, David and Kyle mentored.

June 28, 2023, 10 am – 11:00 pm – Wednesday

Friends School – Assemble Wooden Kazoos with K-1 “Campers”

DGWW helped 16 kids and one counselor make wooden Kazoos.  They were very young, but it went well.  Loud, but well. We finished with about a minute to spare. It was one boy’s birthday, so we wrapped up with a rousing (even from great distances) version of “Happy Birthday.” Glenn, John, David and Kyle mentored.

June 22 – 23, 2023, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Thursday & Friday

Selinsgrove Regional Engagement Center (REC) “Cajon Project”

10am – 12pm — Woodturning for kids 8 – 14 at The Rivet

After a successful project building cedar planters with the REC students last year, DGWW was approached by Kelly Feiler, Director of the REC and asked if we could create a woodworking project around “drums and drumming.” Their campers be working with other groups on weaving and drumming, and Kelly wondered if we could help them make drums. John Seymour took the lead for DGWW on this project, since he has experience making a variety of cajons. John built two octagonal prototypes to and showed them to Kelly and she picked one. These cajons have a snare inside and strap anchors so the students can attach a shoulder strap they will weave in a different class and wear them over a shoulder.

On these two days we helped the REC Campers build 61 cajons! They had a workshop in which a professional percussionist showed them techniques to get the cajons to make different sounds. The kids had fun, and is was a good experience for us as well.

May 13, 2023, 12:00 – 5:00 pm – Saturday

Jana’s Arts and Music Festival (“JAM Fest”)

May 11, 2023, 9:15 – 10:30 pm

Jana Marie Foundation “Tranquility Station” Installation

The Jana Marie Foundation, a non-profit that promotes mental well-being among young people and their communities, asked Doing Good with Wood to help them with a “Tranquility Station” project — sort of like a “Little Library” that offers books to a neighborhood, but this one would be for resources related to mental health for adolescents and their family members. The young people they are working with had the idea, and they designed the cabinet. We conferred, then built the cabinet for them. We brought the cabinet to their HQ, where they filled screw holes, sanded, and added door hardware, before they painted it. On May 10, we returned to install the windows and the “sliders” the students created to share brief messages with their users. It turned out very nicely.

On May 11 we went to the Sidney Friedman “Parklet” near the SCASD Football field, where Ron and John from the Township dug the post hole inserted the post, and filled the hole with concrete. Here’s the result. A beautiful contribution to the community. (DGWW Mentors involved: Jan, Glenn, David, John, and Kyle.)

May 11, 2023, 4:00 -9:30 pm

Centre Gives Fest

Centre Gives is an annual online giving event designed to encourage community giving and to support the great work of Centre County nonprofits. “Centre Gives Fest” is a festival held at the end of the 36 hour fundraising campaign, and Doing Good with Wood participated as a way to thank the good people working for Centre Gives, and to offer an event to the people in the Bellefonte area. We had a kazoo building session, and 55 people stopped in to make kazoos. (DGWW Mentors involved: Brad, Glenn, David, John, and Kyle.)

April 28, 2023, 11:00 -12:30 pm

Art Alliance: Assemble New Tables / Fix Others

DGWW volunteer Jan Dillon also volunteers at the Art Alliance. When the Art Alliance received three new tables through a grant from the Rotary Club, she recruited DGWW Mentors to assemble the tables, a process that involved installing a stability strip to reinforce the table top down the middle and add the four legs. After driving over 220 screws to complete this new tables for the children’s pottery classes, we were asked to look at about ten wobbly drafting tables in a building next door that were used in their stained glass classes. DGWW Mentor Glenn Johnson quickly diagnosed the problem as loose cross bracing in the tables’ frames and we quickly tightened them up and solved the problem. DGWW Mentors involved: Jan, Glenn, David, and Kyle.

March 25, 2023, 1:30 – 3:30 pm

Big Brother Big Sister “Woodworking: Make Your Own Kazoo!” Event at Bellefonte Youth Center

March 23, 2023: Jana Marie Foundation “Tranquility Station Project” Build

Doing Good with Wood has had a long relationship with the Jana Marie Foundation, a non-profit that promotes mental well-being among young people and their communities. They asked Doing Good with Wood to help them with a “Tranquility Station” project — sort of like a “Little Library” that offers books to a neighborhood, but this one would be for resources related to mental health for adolescents and their family members. The asked us to build a rather elaborate box that will son be available in the “Parklet” near the SCASD Football field. We did and it turned out very nicely. The students designed the box, we provided feedback on the design, and then we built the box they had designed. Then we came together to fill screw holes, sand, and add door hardware. Now they will finish the box and we will place it in the park with the help of the township staff who will dig the post hole. The photos below follow the reveal of the box as the students were sanding and filling in screw holes. Next they will paint and decorate it, after which we’ll be back with more photos! DGWW Mentors engaged: Jan, David, John, Glenn, and Kyle.

January 10 – February 28, 2023: Wood Shop Class at Centre Learning Community Charter School – Second Trimester

After a successful first trimester class at CLC, we were invited back to work with about 16 students in two back-to-back one hour classes on 8 Tuesday afternoons. During this class students made candy dispensers, clocks, and some had time to also turn wooden keychains. DGWW Mentors: David, John, Jan, and Kyle.

September 13 – December 13, 2022: Wood Shop Class at Centre Learning Community Charter School – First Trimester

Doing Good with Wood was invited to teach a wood shop class at the Centre Learning Community Charter School as part of their after school program. We worked with approximately 16 students after school on Tuesdays, with some students working with us for two hours and some for only one hour. We had fun, and made kazoos and a pretty cool color changing lamp. We also worked with one young man who wanted to only use hand tools. We helped him make a shaving horse (the bench-type tool he is sitting on in the photo below) which he will use to make wooden spoons and spokes for a 1/2 scale covered wagon. DGWW Mentors: David, John, Jan, and Kyle.

July 5, 2022 – August 23: Flax Tools Created for PSU Class and Pasto Agricultural Museum

After a chat that began at our IG Conference presentation (see below), we were invited to help the Pasto Agricultural Museum by making the tools needed to process flax into linen. Under the leadership of Glenn Johnson, with assistance from John Seymour (AKA “Drillmaster”) Doing Good with Wood built the a set of flax tools needed by Penn State students in Art History to make linen clothing, “from the ground up.” Using plans purchased from The Woolgatherers, Glenn and John made five different tools for rippling, retting, breaking, and hackling for flax. Once the project was complete these tools were stored at the Pasto Agricultural Museum.  

Our clients were very appreciative and happy with the products, and their appreciation of the tool building and the help Glenn and Kyle provided by participating in some of the harvesting activity led us to be invited to the end of project celebration. Lots of photos of the project, including a tribute to DGWW and the tools Glenn created can be found HERE.

July 5, 2022: DGWW Presentation at PSU Intergenerational Programs Conference

Through our work with the Pennsylvania Intergenerational Network, DGWW was invited to present about our work at the Pennsylvania Intergenerational Conference, in State College. Glenn, Kyle, and Trent Schaffer told our story to about a dozen very interested participants, and then we all made kazoos. This session put us in touch with Rita Graef, Director of the Pasto Agricultural Museum, which led to our “Flax Tools Projects, described above.

June 23, 2022: Cedar Planter Making at the Selinsgrove Regional Engagement Center

Through our work with the Pennsylvania Intergenerational Network, DGWW met Kelly Feiler, Director of the Regional Engagement Center in Selinsgrove, PA. Kelly asked DGWW to get involved with the REC’s summer camp, by coaching the kids through the construction of cedar planter boxes. Because of serious supply and demand issues at the time, we had to drive to Ohio to get the lumber needed, but when we brought it home, cut it, and predrilled holes it made for a nice project. We learned some lessons about working outdoors on the tarmac on a sunny summer da, but we all had a good time and the results were great. Nice boxes, happy kids and counselors. DGWW Mentors: David, Jan, and Kyle.

August 17, 2019: Kazoo Making at Ten Thousand Villages State College

DGWW was proud to announce this event in conjunction with Ten Thousand Villages (TTV), a “new friend,” we met through Penn State’s Intergenerational Leadership Institute. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit organization and retail store on South Atherton Street that carries handcrafted and fairly-traded jewelry, clothing, household decor, kitchen accessories, food (chocolate, coffee, tea, soup mixes, etc.), gifts for children and pets, spa items, greeting cards, and more. Ten Thousand Villages products are made by over 20,000 makers in 30 developing countries under a maker-centered business model. Ethical at every step, TTV ensures fair prices, long-term partnerships, good working conditions, design collaboration, eco-conscious commitments, and empowered voices of women & people who are often overlooked.

The event was held outside the store on at 1341 S Atherton St, on August 17, from 10:00 to 2:00, and culminated with a “play-along” musical event during which kazoo makers played their new kazoos and others joined them using instruments the store carries that were made in other countries. Staff from Ten Thousand Villages planned and coordinated the play along activity. It was lots of fun!

July 9, 2019: Big Brother Big Sister Kazoo Making in the Park

While participating in the Penn State Intergenerational Leadership Institute and the Intergenerational Friends Fair, we met and quickly formed a relationship with Big Brother Big Sister of Centre County. At the Friends Fair our friends from Big Brother Big Sister had a chance to see our kazoo making event in action, and they invited us to join them on July 9th from 1:00 to 4:00 in Spring Creek Park to host a similar event.

John, Glenn, and Kyle volunteered to supervise the event and we were pleased to draft Eric Spielvogel as a first-time mentor for this activity. It was a great setting, with Spring Creek running in the background, and we were able to work more closely with a smaller group of about 15 people, about 80% on whom were female. Thanks to our new friends at Big Brother Big Sister and to our DGWW Staff as well, for another fun, worthwhile event.

Also, at the request of Big Brother Big Sister Case Manager Zach Maser, DGWW built and donated a corn hole set with the Big Brother Big Sister logo prominently on the front and our Doing Good with Wood logo on the top.  Zach and the other case managers will use the set at BBBS events and when recruiting Penn State students as “Bigs.”

June 1, 2019: The Intergenerational Friends Fair

DGWW had another big success at the intergenerational Friends Fair at the State College Friends School on June 1.  Since we did have electricity at this location, we brought the drill presses and sanders, allowing more people to experience working with these tools. We ran one long continuous workshop from 10:00 am to 3:15 pm, and after a brief lull at the very beginning, our mobile workshop was constantly busy with happy people ranging in age from about 5 to about 70 making kazoos.  We were so busy that we didn’t get many photos, but perhaps we’ll get more from the others who attended of the event. Overall, participants made about 50 kazoos.

DGWW also featured prominently at the closing ceremony, at which Eric Ian Farmer led the audience of about 45 people through a series of songs spanning the generations (The Wheels on the Bus, Lean On Me, and Lovely Day) accompanied by audience members on kazoos. (Audience members who had not made kazoos were given plastic kazoos.) Kyle presented the event organizers, Matt Kaplan and Lori Paccioli, and the Head of School, Donan Stoicovy, with oak kazoos in gift boxes as a thank you gift from DGWW.

DGWW received a very nice thank you email from Matt Kaplan (PSU event organizer).

May 18, 2019: “J.A.M. Fest”

Doing Good with Wood was invited to participate in “Jana’s Art & Music Festival,” also known as “J.A.M. Fest.” According to the Jana Marie Foundation, this event is “a community-wide mental wellness day designed to help increase well-being, build connections, and foster self-expression. Held annually in downtown State College, the event features live music, yoga, meditation, stations for creative expression, artwork to view, and more,” including, for the first time this year, a hands-on activity by Doing Good with Wood.

We ran a wooden kazoo making event designed to fit people of almost all ages, by providing pre-cut parts, glue sandpaper, and advice.

We are very pleased to have been invited to support JAM Fest because, as the Jana Marie Foundation says, “art, music, and creative expression are lifelong sources of resilience, self-confidence, and happiness.” We had a great time, and so did about 80 kazoo makers! Thanks to Glenn Johnson, John Seymour, and Kyle Peck for serving as on-site mentors, and to Kathy Seymour for making a great sign for us, and to Glenn for making the easel that supported our new sign.

April 1, 2019: Make a Wooden Kazoo Event at The Rivet

Thanks to “The Rivet,” State College, PA’s new maker space for hosting this super fun, inter-generational event. Twenty-seven people came, watched an 11 minute video, and then built their own beautiful wooden kazoos. After about 60 to 90 minutes, each kazoo was assembled, crafted, tested and finished, and a variety of tunes were proudly broadcast across the room, in a fun environment enhanced by complementary beverages provided by Otto’s Pub and Brewery. DGWW provided the materials and most of the tools, as well as instructional materials, and the Rivet provided the space, some tools, safety equipment, and a great set of assistants to help with setup, coaching, and cleanup. We believe that all involved had fun, developed a few basic woodworking skills, and saw how woodworking can be an interesting hobby and an opportunity to meet new people. Here are a few photos from the event. If you have more, please send them to us using the “Contact Us” page or as email attachments to [email protected].