The Patriot Woodworkers with Operation Ward 57 Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family for the Holidays - 2020

[John Morris]

Introduction

Every year The Patriot Woodworker's adopt a Wounded Warrior or Gold Star family for Christmas. We do this through a great veterans support organization named Operation Ward 57. The Patriot Woodworker's submit an application to Ward 57 to be accepted to receive our family for Christmas, and each year we are chosen to participate. And each year, our sponsors donate wonderful items for us to giveaway for this cause. We use 100 percent of your contributions to purchase gifts for the kids, and a Christmas dinner for the family and to fund related project expenses such as shipping fees for gifts.

 

 

Our Mission 
We need your help to accumulate funds for Christmas presents for our Wounded Warrior adopted family, who has given much to our nation in physical and emotional sacrifice and much more in family sacrifice. 

 

The Wounded Warrior Family

I have had the honor of communicating with Mrs. Hine and learned much about her wonderful family, her husband, the kids, and they are of course just really great folks. I could, in my own words introduce the family to you as I always do, but I thought this time I'd let Mrs. Hine's own words stand for her family, with her permission I am sharing our communications.

Quote

 

Just wanted to let you know a little bit about our family.  My husband is a former Marine Corps sniper/infantryman and was deployed to OEF and OIF.  He was injured in Iraq. He enjoys watching sports, fishing, hunting, and woodworking. 

 

I’m in law school now trying to graduate so I can supplement income. 

 

Our kids are amazing, resilient, military kids.  Haley (13) takes on a leadership role at her school as ASB secretary and gets straight A’s. Haley wants to be a detective when she’s older.  Hunter (8) is currently in ice hockey (as long as his scholarship lasts) and also has excellent grades.  Hunter was nominated for student spotlight early on in the year because he too takes on a leadership role at the school, helping other kids, and always listening to his teacher. Hunter wants to be a pilot or NHL player when he grows up.   Hudson (4) is not in school but is super athletic, helpful, and at 99th percentile for height and weight he’s the “big” baby brother! Hudson says he wants to “fight bad guys” when he grows up.  Makenzie adores hanging out with her siblings and they protect her.  

My husband would like to eventually move somewhere farther out of California.  He enjoys his solitude.  

 

We love our military family.  I plan on giving back to the veteran community in a big way when I graduate law school this December and I am licensed.  Because of the challenges we've had along the way with the VA and how many disabled veterans I've seen fall through the cracks, it inspired me to want to work with these heroes.  I'm hoping to get an internship with Veterans Legal Institute out in Orange County.  Please let your vets know that we appreciate their blessing and will pay it forward. 

 

I know a lot of Nick's sniper buddies from 2/7 have either died in combat, committed suicide, or are suffering silently.  People like you and your community of veterans/woodworkers help these guys know they are not forgotten.  We appreciate your service past and present! 

 

Thank you for all you do!

Briana Hine 

 

Our Christmas Family

Top Row Left to Right: Haley, Mr. Hine, Mrs. Hine, Mackenzie | Bottom Row Left to Right: Hunter and brother Hudson

 

 

The Kids Haley and sister Makenzie, and brothers Hunter and Hudson.

 

 

Our Guest of Honor

2nd Image: Mr. Hine right, in country on mission. | 3rd Image: Mr. Hine center right with buddies and local boy. | 4th Image: Mr. Hine far right, Marine Corp Ball.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Hine, their younger years.

 

Mr. Hine with daughter Haley.

Mr. Hine center in country with buddies and locals.

 

Rules

• Sorry, only Residents of the US and Canada may participate. Outside countries may contribute but you will not be entered into the system for receiving items due to shipping costs. If you are in an outside country, and do contribute, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
• All are welcome to participate, members, forum hosts, admins and non-members. (John Morris (Founder) and family may not participate).
• Please allow 1 to 3 weeks for delivery of prizes, most of the time prizes are sent out immediately.
• You may contribute as much funding as you like to earn entries into our random draw.
• Your contributions will be accepted up to December 31st 12 am Pacific Time, at which time project will close and item recipients will be chosen.
• 4 names will be randomly drawn by Random Picker software, and items will be awarded in the order of names drawn, starting with the Laguna Bandsaw, then the Easy Wood Tools, then the Woodriver hand planes.

 

To contribute to our Adopted Family please click on "Donate" button

 

This year, the items our sponsors have donated can be seen in the image below, these are some great prizes folks! You can donate only 2 dollars with multiple entry bargains, and your odds of receiving a sponsored item are very high given our typical turnout. To view the entry fees, and to purchase your entries please click on the Donate button above!

 

Item links

• Laguna 14|12 Bandsaw for one recipient
• Easy Wood Tools Parting Tool for two recipients
• Woodriver Standard Block Plane with Adjustable Mouth for one recipient
• Woodriver No.4 Bench Plane for one recipient

 

 

In Closing

Ok Patriot Woodworker's, it's time to muster and it's time to show everyone what we are all about! The purpose our woodworking community was created is for this reason, to help those who have served us, and paid the price.

Remember this is not charity, this is not a hand out, this is payback!

 

Thank you sponsors!

We also need to thank our sponsors Woodcraft Supply, Laguna Tools, and Easy Wood Tools for their generous support and for donating those wonderful items for the raffle! For without them, we would not have a community, nor would we be able to perform the work we do. Thank you guys!

 

 

Prior Years Projects

• Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family for the Holidays 2015
• Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family for the Holidays 2016
• Adopt a Gold Star Family for the Holidays 2017
• Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family for the Holidays 2018
• Adopt a Wounded Warrior Family for the Holidays 2019

 

[lew]

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

[John Morris]

Dear donors, you have gotten us a quarter of the way, good going!

I need to catch up on the donor raffle verification emails, the emails will be going out tomorrow with verification of the number of entries you purchased, thank you again folks!

[p_toad]

On 11/8/2020 at 1:08 PM, John Morris said:

Thank you sponsors!

We also need to thank our sponsors Woodcraft Supply, Laguna Tools, and Easy Wood Tools for their generous support and for donating those wonderful items for the raffle! For without them, we would not have a community, nor would we be able to perform the work we do. Thank you guys!

I totally failed on this.   Thank you sponsors!  

[John Morris]

More than half way to our goal folks! Keep spreading the word, we greatly appreciate all your efforts!!

[John Morris]

Dear folks, I am running a little behind on getting the donation email confirmations out to you, I will update and send you your donation confirmation within the next 24hrs, sorry for the delay! And thank you for your support!

[Al B]

Just 4 weeks left to reach out goal guys.

[John Morris]

Dear Patriot Woodworker's, perhaps the most wonderful gift of all, that we became a part of for the Hine Family, just happened yesterday.

To set the stage of this wonderful outcome, our sponsor Woodcraft blogged about our Christmas project, you can read that here.

 

Woodcraft Teams with Patriot Woodworker to Gift Wounded Marine’s Family

WWW.WOODCRAFT.COM

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The Patriot Woodworker organization hopes to raise $2,000 to provide gifts and a Christmas meal for a wounded Marine and his...

 

Well, because of the blog and a Woodcraft press release that went out to the general public and retailers, that brought attention to our project here, a very special person was paying attention, and read our story here, an attorney at Veterans Legal Institute here in Southern CA, had read that Mrs. Hine is in law school, and wishes to intern at that very same institute after school, which is in a short few weeks, upon her graduation. 

The attorney contacted Mrs. Hine yesterday and told her to come on in, they want talk to her and get her working.

 

Mrs. Hine emailed me some of the details, and here is a part of her email I am sharing with you all.

 

Quote

 

Good morning, Mr. Morris,

I received an interesting phone call this morning from an attorney at Veterans Legal Institute.  I assumed she was calling regarding an application for an internship I submitted back in April.  However, she said she saw my interest in an article from the Patriot Woodworker!! It really caught me off guard and I got goosebumps right away! You see, I have been really anxious about graduating from law school in a couple of weeks and wondering what my next steps would be.  This was so unexpected, and just felt like God working his Christmas miracles through you and your elves.

I feel so blessed that we have been paired up with your organization.  Thank you all so much for all the ways you have blessed our family and I am so excited to pay it forward to our veteran community.

Briana Hine 

 

 

I am so proud of our work here, and how it has impacted the lives of Veteran's families that we have supported, and this is just another case of a Christmas Miracle, working through all here on The Patriot Woodworker, and making it all possible.

 

We'll pray that Mrs. Hine and the Veterans Legal Institute come together, and Mrs. Hine has a job waiting for her upon graduation from law school, which would be the greatest gift of all for that family!

 

Thanks to all Patriot Woodworker's here, you all make this community, you all participate, you all fund the projects, and you all have created a warm and friendly climate here that folks like being a part of, including our sponsors.

[lew]

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!

Edited December 11, 2020 by lew

[p_toad]

I see that we're well on the way....$1650 so far.     Thanks to all who are able to donate. 

[FlGatorwood]

Maybe, the law firm can finish up the donations.  Now, that would really be something.  Oh, I must be in a dream.  LOL

[honesttjohn]

Just added a little to the pot.  I could use a bigger bandsaw.

[Al B]

Thought  I'd return and help sweeten the pot. Let's see where we can go with this.  Hey honestt, I won that BS in last year's drawing. Couldn't be happier! Good luck

[Gunny]

Been strapped for slushy past few months paying off attorney fees. Trial is over and look and behold I got $50 overpayment back.  Best I can do at the moment.  

[FlGatorwood]

Well, I don't need any of the tools.  But happy to contribute.  Will make another donation in a few days.  Depends on how much I have left of Christmas money.  

[p_toad]

Wow...tipped over at $2070 last i looked.   Thanks to all for the donations...no matter large or small. 

 

Thanks again to our sponsors! 

Edited December 12, 2020 by p_toad

[FlGatorwood]

Thank to our sponsors and to all who donated so that a wounded warrior and his family can have a memorable Christmas season.  Great job of going over the goal.  

[John Morris]

Hey folks, we are over our goal, pretty cool right! I just caught up with our latest donor confirmation emails, you should see them at your inbox!

And thank you to all!

[John Morris]

Well folks, most of the gifts have been delivered, in gift bag or wrapped by the online retailers. We did however have some retailers that did not offer gift wrapping, so I had them shipped to our home so we could wrap the gifts, then the gifts will be delivered by my wife and I, on behalf of our Patriot Woodworker's to the family. The family only lives across town from us this year so tomorrow we'll be delivering the gifts. On the way to their home we'll swing by their local grocers and purchase a 300 dollar gift certificate for food, all from your contributions! Thanks all for participating in this years Adopt a Family for Christmas event, you all came through and in flying colors.

 

Remember, even though the gift purchases are complete, this event does not end till New Years. Whatever funds are added too the family account, and left over, will be mailed to them in a cashiers check, on behalf of all here. 100 percent of the funds you have contributed, are used for this family project.

 

Remaining gifts below to be delivered, just a fraction of what has been already delivered to the family, and sitting under their tree.

[AndrewB]