Two handmade Adirondack chairs and a matching table cost just $325. Add a
matching outdoor planter for $80. Sweeten the deal with the knowledge
that all the materials used to create your cozy backyard getaway are
recycled—and the workers who created them are all part of an innovative
Easter Seals program called
Building Ability.
Through Building Ability, workers with severe disabilities learn
woodworking skills as they build retail-ready merchandise from donated
materials. "I see a lot of people who could use meaningful job training
and meaningful work," says Tina McMahon Dyehouse, 44, of North Avondale.
McMahon, who works as a hearing officer for the Ohio Department of Job
and Family Services. She is also on the steering committee for the
second annual
Reuseapalooza, which happens Friday, April 8.
She became involved after she attended the event's inaugural event at
Building Value's
retail location in Northside. Most of her volunteer efforts have
focused on the Designers' Challenge, a new element of this year's
fundraiser. In the Designer Challenge, 15 local designer's received $100
credit at the Building Value retail store to buy materials to create
funky, and functional, entries. From coffee tables to fountains,
Designer Challenge pieces will be judged, then auctioned, at
Reuseapalooza.
Building Value
offers property owners and builders a wide range of new and used
building materials for up to 75 percent less than retail prices. Similar
donated materials allow workers with disabilities to get job training
and become an integral part of the Building Ability program, where
products for sale include chess sets, cornhole boards, picnic tables and
kid-sized rockers.
Do Good:
•
Enjoy the party. Buy a ticket by April 6 and pay just $15 for a night of entertainment at Reuseapalooza.
•
Give a gift. Looking for the perfect Earth Day gift? How about a $25 ink pen made from recycled wood?
•
Make a stand. Support additional funding for treatment and services for children with disabilities.
By Elissa Yancey
Photo of last year's Reuseapalooza courtesy of Easter Seals
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