‘A Santa’s Workshop’: Wisconsin Woodworker’s Guild turns talents to making toys for children facing difficult times

By Duaa Israr

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    NEW BERLIN, Wisconsin (WDJT) — In the basement of a New Berlin store, the Wisconsin Woodworkers guild is busy building magic from everyday materials.

It’s the kind of place where you’ll find equal parts creativity and equal parts imagination.

“It’s literally like a workshop. A Santa’s Workshop,” said Cherie Swenson, the vice president of Sojourner.

Santa’s helpers don’t need the holidays to do good.

“Two Saturdays, every month, all year long,” said Jeff Grzeca, the shop chairman.

For more than 40 years, the Wisconsin Woodworkers guild has been building toys for those who don’t have any.

“They come to us on possibly, the hardest day of their family’s life,” said Swenson.

Grzeca delivers each and every single one of these toys to domestic shelters in Wisconsin.

“It’s a quick departure. You can’t pack up a U-Haul. It’s ‘okay, I have 15 minutes to get out of here and grab the kids and go. So, they’re going with close to nothing,” said Grzeca .

It begins with an idea.

“We figure out what materials we want to make things from, start cutting it into rough sizes, get it put together,” said

Brian McDonough, the committee chair.

McDonough will then bring those ideas to life.

“Being able to produce something you can hold in your hand is wonderful,” said McDonough.

Each scrap of wood is transformed into more than just a toy.

“You can’t question the motives of somebody who simply wants to do something to make a child smile,” said McDonough.

For McDonough and Grzeca and all the other woodworkers, it’s a symbol of hope.

“This is meaningful, and I maybe will never, ever meet any of the kids that benefit from it. But that doesn’t make it any less meaningful,” Grzeca.

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