Volunteer Woodworkers To Craft Cremation Urns For Veterans
WOOD Magazine Partners With National Cemeteries At Fourth Annual Charity Build
DES MOINES, Iowa, May 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- WOOD® Magazine will again host a charity build for attendees as part of the seventh annual Weekend with WOOD™, a sold-out three-day event attracting woodworkers of all skill levels from across the U.S. and Canada to Meredith headquarters. Participants will choose from over 50 topics spanning nearly every aspect of woodworking taught by WOOD editors and well-known woodworkers.
During the charity event, more than 200 attendee volunteers will make 100 wood urns that will respectfully inter the cremains of indigent U.S. military veterans. Building on the success and popularity of the charity build, there will also be another charity event for the spouses of participating woodworkers, who will work together to assemble meals for Meals from the Heartland.
Since 2017, volunteers have built more than 230 urns that bear laser-engraved emblems of the branches of the United States Armed Forces. This year the urns will be donated to the Rock Island, Ill. and Keokuk, Iowa National Cemeteries. Previously, the urns have been donated to the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa, and to the Omaha, Neb. National Cemetery.
"It is an incredible opportunity as well as an honor for the Rock Island and Keokuk National Cemeteries to participate in this year's Weekend with WOOD charity build," said Sue Nan Jehlen, Director, Rock Island National Cemetery Complex and Keokuk National Cemetery. "The value that these urns will provide to the area veterans that we serve cannot be overstated. With burial costs going up, we are seeing more of those who gave everything in service to their country not able to afford many burial services, so these urns will provide an enormous benefit."
WOOD Editorial Content Chief Dave Campbell was inspired by the Veterans Urn Project, started by the Woodcrafters Guild in St. Petersburg, Fla., which put the Guild members' time and talents toward creating urns for veterans whose cremains were being interred in less deferential containers.
"The feeling you get when you use your skills as a woodworker to create something that makes a real difference in someone's life, especially in the life of a veteran, is truly incredible," said Campbell. "It's one of my favorite things about being a woodworker. We have had the honor to craft cremation urns for veterans for the past two years and I am proud that we can continue this tradition. It gives our attendees – a number of whom are veterans themselves – an opportunity to combine their passion and generosity to benefit such a worthy cause. We are also very excited to work with Meals from the Heartland again this year to provide a charitable opportunity for the spouses in attendance. The packaged meals will be donated to those struggling with hunger on local, national, and global levels."
To create a year's worth of cremation urns, the woodworkers will work in an assembly-line to machine, cut, rout, sand and assemble the finished products. Woodworkers Source, a hardwood retailer in Arizona, will donate the necessary lumber to construct the urns, and the power tools needed to build them will be provided by DeWalt. The tool manufacturer will give those tools to participants at the end of the event.
Jehlen will speak at the event, as will Scott Moline, State Commander of the American Legion of Iowa. "The American Legion of Iowa is proud to be affiliated with the Weekend with WOOD charity build and support the outstanding work it is doing for American veterans," said Moline.
ABOUT WOOD MAGAZINE
WOOD Magazine, published by Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com), serves the woodworking needs of more than 350,000 readers. WOOD is a multi-platform brand featuring the magazine, www.woodmagazine.com, e-commerce, events, e-newsletters, digital magazines, research, custom publishing and video production. WOOD maintains and operates its own in-house woodworking test shop where the editors build every project, verify every fact and test every reviewed tool with the purpose of guaranteeing reader success and complete satisfaction with every published project or article.
ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) (www.meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for 115 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms — including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video — to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.
Meredith's National Media Group reaches more than 175 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including over 80 percent of U.S. millennial women. Meredith is a leader in creating content across media platforms and life stages in key consumer interest areas such as entertainment, food, lifestyle, parenting and home. Meredith is the No. 1 magazine operator in the U.S., and owner of the largest premium content digital network for American consumers. Meredith's leading national brands include PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, InStyle, Allrecipes, REAL SIMPLE, Southern Living and Martha Stewart Living. Meredith also features robust brand licensing activities including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. and at walmart.com. Meredith's National Media Group also includes leading affinity marketer Synapse, and The Foundry, the company's state-of-the-art creative lab and content studio.
SOURCE Meredith Corporation
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