EAST LAKE, Fla. — Santa isn’t the only one with a workshop full of special helpers making toys. The community of East Lake has its own magical wood shop, but instead of elves, they have seniors.
“I walked in here, I knew nothing," Theresa Burke said. "I sanded toys for two weeks, and now I can run any machine in here."
Burke is one of the hundreds of volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to The ToyMakers of East Lake. From the cutting to the drilling to the sanding, everything inside this workshop is handmade.
“The first day, I thought it was Santa’s workshop,” she said.
Each toy takes exactly 36 steps to complete, and the only material being used is good old fashion wood.
“That's the kind of toy that I grew up with, it doesn’t need batteries," George Chapman said. "It’s not going to break, and the best thing to me is, a kid can be a kid. They’re not doing all the telephone and electronics stuff."
Like Santa, the nonprofit is preparing for its busiest time of year, delivering toys to the children who need them the most.
“So they go to hospitals, police department, fire department, Ronald McDonald homes,” Burke said. “We sent 700 toys over to Ukraine. We sent 500 toys over to Kentucky for the children who were affected by the floods.”
The creativity is always escalating, from dinosaurs to ducks to sharks and more than 80 designs and counting. The toys are delivered to around 20,000 children in need every year.
These toy makers say the wall of thank you notes is all they need to know their hard work is making a huge difference.
“It warms your heart. You are touching children that have absolutely nothing or a very stressful fulfilling situation,” Burke said.
The ToyMakers of East Lake are always accepting new volunteers, no matter what their age. For more information, go to their website.
