The turning club that I’m in was looking for some way to blend the art/craft of woodturning with some form of charitable giving.  Other clubs are supporting a group called “beads of courage” by making boxes that are given to young cancer victims who use them to hold beads they are given with each cancer treatment.  Cool project and it helps kids, but there are many, MANY clubs doing this.  Several clubs are turning pens that are donated to a group that re-sells them and keeps the cash.  Some clubs hold auctions of donated projects and donate the cash.  We were looking for something different.  For me, I really don’t like to just give money to a group claiming they’re going to do good things with it.  That kind of group always seems to grow the administration on the payroll, first.  I was thinking something that would help people directly, without having to have someone else decide how to “spend” the donations.

What we decided on was making wig stands.  May sound weird, but in talking to the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Center in Peoria, il., apparently they already have programs that make or give wigs to women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments, but they have nothing to offer the women to put their wigs on when they take them off.  Makes sense, if you think about it.  For me, it’s a way to help someone directly and all the middle man gets is the time it takes to broker the trade. I like turning. I like women. I like boobies. So, I figured I had four good reasons to get behind this cause and help out.

Most of the stands being made are “brown and round”, like a dome stuck on a stick, stuck in a circle.  Very utilitarian.  I figure as long as the person is going to have to stare at it, I might as well try to do something to make it worth looking at.  I made the top out of colored epoxy clay, so it wouldn’t be damaged by the sweat, heat and moisture that comes from the wigs. The chemo apparently does horrible things to the women, sweating profusely being one of them, so you have to be very careful with the finish that you use. I also added a little indentation in the bottom to hold ear rings, necklaces, rings, or anything else that needs to be held.

Here’s my first donation:

The sad thing about this whole project is that even though the club has already donated at least 50 wig stands in the last two months, they’re giving them to women faster than we can make them.  Way, way, way too many cancer patients out there!  Didn’t I hear a few years back about all these new treatments in mice that were eliminating tumors and new vaccines that could prevent some cancers from forming in the fist place?  What happened to all that?  I for one would like to put cancer industry out of business.  Just saying…