Aviation club makes children’s spirits soar
When it comes to service, members of the Society of Aviation Maintenance Professionals (SAMP) decided to think outside the aviation box. Teaming up with the Happy Factory on Oct. 28, the USU club donated toys to young children.
“Our club wanted to do something outside of just aviation maintenance,” said Cade Cross, a senior majoring in aviation technology maintenance management and this year’s SAMP president. “We came across this great service opportunity donating wooden cars and toys to elementary kids.”
Eugene Fletcher, a junior minoring in aviation maintenance, said the club split into two groups, and each group visited three different elementary schools.
“I used to work at the Aviation Training Center in the Coast Guard for three years and learned to love aviation,” Fletcher said. “I was able to help when SAMP delivered toys to kids in the Logan Area.”
The Happy Factory is a non-profit organization based in Cedar City. Charles Cooley, founder of The Happy Factory, said it produces simple wooden toys for kids all over the globe. FedEx then ships toys for free, anywhere from Iraq to Africa to Logan, Utah.
“We take some wood that would be wasted, mix it with some time that would be wasted and make a toy to stimulate a mind so that it won’t be wasted,” Cooley said.
About 15 years ago, Cooley said, he and his wife Donna started asking for help from friends and volunteers in the community, and the organization began to grow progressively.
Cross said he found out about The Happy Factory from his grandfather, a volunteer for the organization. He said the toys are also used to help kids with disabilities.
“The steam shovels are used to teach kids with disabilities hand-eye coordination,” he said.
Cross said the playground-style steam shovels include a seat for kids to sit on, and they come with a tub and plastic balls so the kids can practice scooping them up. He said Walmart donates the tubs and balls for each steam shovel.
“It was great giving them to the kids and being able to show them how to use their new toys,” he said. Fletcher agreed and said the service felt good.
“Man, wow, to see their faces was so nice,” Fletcher said. “I used to be a substitute teacher and love being around kids. The steam shovels were the best to watch the kids use. They were so thrilled to play with their new toys. My favorite was to see them smile and thank us for everything we did.”
Cooley said the “steam shovel therapy” is now being incorporated into the special needs programs around the Logan area.
“These wooden toys are not as simple as they might seem,” he said. “In many cases they are a gift that helps unlock a child’s ability to think and to cope with the world around them. They are therapeutic tools for children suffering from physical and emotional problems. Or if nothing else, they prove a smile or a laugh.”
Donna Cooley, co-founder of The Happy Factory, said its motto is: “We may not be able to make a toy for every child in the world that needs one, but we’re going to try.”
Donna said every $4 donated produces 10 cars for 10 happy children.
Quoting Winston Churchill, Charles said, “This isn’t the end. This isn’t even the beginning of the end. This is only the end of the beginning.”
– caitlyn.lewis@aggiemail.usu.edu