“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” –Nelson Mandela

We had a supplemental board meeting this month because we did not finish our job in the first board meeting due to time constraints. Most of the items discussed were mundane procedural stuff, dotting the tees and crossing the eyes (or is it something else) and making sure that our club is on the right track moving forward. But a couple of items for discussion stood out in my mind. Item #5, Matthew Bartlett donations, and item #6, Brian Havens lathe donation. Discussing such items in the board meetings have a special meaning. Those items were there in the agenda because of the good deeds done by our club members.

As many of you know Matthew Bartlett had made a huge cash donation as well as some brand-new chisels and an exquisite block plane as a gift to the students of the construction class. In January I handed a check to the school principal and mentioned to him where the money came from and what to use it for. He was very happy and thanked us for the donation. The chisels and block plane will be given as a gift to a couple of deserving students in the construction class before the end of the school year. I cannot wait to see the smile and happiness it will bring to the students when they receive the gifts. Last year Brian Havens donated a Jet mini lathe and some tools to the club. We had discussed what we want to do with the lathe in a previous board meeting. Whether to auction it, raffle it, sell it, keep it etc. During the recent wood event Paul Tamarro mentioned about a friend’s daughter looking for a lathe. That person is a young schoolteacher who had started teaching woodworking and wood turning in a middle school a couple of years ago. The board decided that the lathe be offered to our members first and if there are no takers, sold to non-members.

In our general meeting during the coffee break Tom Nelson came to me and mentioned he wanted to buy that lathe. He did not just want to buy the lathe, he wanted to buy the lathe for that schoolteacher. I asked him again just to confirm what I heard. It put a big smile on my face. After I came home, I passed on the message to Paul Tamarro who passed the message to Maija Granfors. We arranged for her to pick up the lathe the following Wednesday.

Maija is a young schoolteacher who is teaching woodworking and wood turning to about 130 middle school students. When I met her, I could see the excitement and happiness in her face. The kind deed that Brian Havens did by donating the lathe brought in another kind deed from Tom Nel-son that has brought happiness to a young teacher. That lathe is going to make her a better wood turner and teacher. She is going to impart her knowledge to the next generation of wood turners who are all fascinated by the pens they create.

As they say, ‘One good deed begets another good deed’. In our turning club it is one good turn after another. So, we thank and salute our 3 members, Matthew Bartlett, Brian Havens and Tom Nelson.

~ Hari ~