Minwax® Announces 2012 Do Good With Wood Award Winners, Issues Call for Entries for 2013 Program

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, N.J., May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Minwax®, the leading manufacturer of wood finishing and wood care products, has selected the Minneapolis Public Schools Assistive Technology Center Volunteer Program of Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the First Prize winner in the 2012 Do Good With Wood Award program. The award is being presented to honor the volunteers' contributions to their community by using their woodworking skills to design and fabricate equipment for special needs students. Since 1985, the program volunteers have logged more than 30,000 hours and saved the school district more than a half-million dollars, by building, largely out of wood, equipment that would cost much more if purchased commercially. And the volunteers' goodwill doesn't stay in Minneapolis, as they share their proven designs with other organizations across their state, throughout the country, and even internationally. This equipment ranges from "standers" that allow students to improve leg strength and trunk control, to an adapted bowling ramp that allows a wheelchair-bound student to participate in a Special Olympics bowling league. 

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The Minwax® Do Good With Wood Award, formerly known as the Community Craftsman Award, is a national program that recognizes individuals and groups that promote community improvement through working with wood and awards them financial grants and products to encourage continued community service.  As the 2012 Do Good With Wood Award First Prize winner, the Minneapolis Public Schools Assistive Technology Center Volunteer Program receives a $5,000 cash grant, a supply of Minwax® products, and a private wood finishing workshop with renowned do-it-yourself expert and author Bruce Johnson. 

"We are proud to recognize the members of the Minneapolis Public Schools Assistive Technology Center Volunteer Program for their true craftsmanship and their selfless community service in support of the Special Education Services students of Minneapolis Public Schools," notes Janet Krakow, vice president, marketing, Sherwin-Williams Wood Care Products. "Their long volunteer hours, creative solutions, and well-made equipment reflect the true spirit of the Minwax® Do Good With Wood Award. It also serves as inspiration to others and underscores how working with wood – a gratifying activity in itself – is all the more fulfilling when done for the good of others."

Second Prize Award

The 2012 Do Good With Wood Second Prize Award – including a $2,000 cash grant and a supply of Minwax® products – was awarded to the Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia, based in Canton, GA. The guild members are being recognized for their work on behalf of the Life Legacy Box Project for patients in hospice care. Started by doctors, nurses, and caregivers, the Life Legacy Box Project provides handcrafted wooden boxes for hospice patients to house special papers and mementos that they want to leave to their loved ones. Woodworkers, health professionals, and other volunteers work with the hospice patients and their families and friends to create and distribute the boxes as a means for honoring, preserving, and passing down one's life legacy.

Minwax® Issues Call for Entries for 2013 Do Good With Wood Award Program

Entries are being accepted for the 2013 Do Good With Wood Award. The award program is open to virtually anyone who has been involved in a wood finishing project in 2013 — through DIY groups, craft or hobby groups, school woodshop classes, clubs, guilds, parent organizations, or simply on their own – and has used that project for the betterment of his/her community. The First Prize winner will receive a $5,000 cash grant, a supply of Minwax® products, and a consultation with author and wood finishing expert Bruce Johnson. The Second Prize winner will receive a $2,000 cash grant and a supply of Minwax® products. The deadline for all submissions is December 31, 2013. The winners will be announced in spring 2014 and the names posted on the Minwax® website at minwax.com.  All eligible applicants are encouraged to enter by writing a summary of recent woodworking projects that have been completed for the purpose of enhancing their communities and helping others. Entries can be submitted by either (1) uploading to the Minwax® website at minwax.com, (2) via email by writing to [email protected], or (3) via mail by writing to MINWAX Do Good With Wood Award, c/o Brushfire Inc., 2 Wing Drive, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. For more information visit minwax.com.

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For more than 100 years, Minwax® has been a leading brand of high-quality wood finishing and wood care products. From wood stains to clear protective finishes, plus solutions for wood preparation, maintenance, cleaning, and repair, Minwax® products are requested by the Do-It-Yourself consumer, seasoned woodworkers, and professional contractors.  Headquartered in Upper Saddle River, N.J., with a manufacturing facility in Flora, IL, Minwax® is part of Sherwin-Williams Wood Care Products. Minwax® can be found online at www.minwax.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Minwax, and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Minwax (@Minwax).

SOURCE The Minwax Company