Miracles happen when people willingly serve others. When Charles and Donna Cooley became aware that many children have never had a toy, they formulated their motto, "We may not be able to make a toy for every child in the world that needs one--but we're going to try!"
They named their workshop "The Happy Factory" because of the happiness it brings to them and to the children who receive the wooden toys. In the process, they have learned that toys are not simply playthings, but tools that help unlock a child's ability to think and to cope with the world around them. The best toys are toys that represent love - personal toys not community toys. Simple toys that stimulate the imagination. Toys that last a life time and beyond.
What started as a hobby has turned into a full time labor of love. Since their humble beginnings, The Happy Factory has welcomed volunteers of every age--including juvenile offenders in three state correctional facilities. There are no paid salaries. The Happy Factory is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All the materials they use are donated and all of the toys are made by volunteers. Every toy is donated to a child in need. The toys are made of scraps of hardwood donated by a local cabinet maker. Unfortunately, there are a few expenses for wheels and axles, saw blades, building maintenance costs and other miscellaneous items. The Happy Factory workers are toy makers, not fundraisers. It costs approximately forty cents per toy for wheels and axles. They gratefully accept donations of materials, time, and money. Over 1,000,000 wooden toys have been distributed from The Happy Factory.
Donna tells this story, We received a phone call from Ed Ebert, who had a Happy Factory branch in St. George, Utah He said that his neighbor, Fred Anderson, who helps Ed make Happy Factory Toys, had received a phone call from a grandson that is serving in the military in Iraq.
The grandson said that they left their base the other morning on an assignment. Just outside of the base a little girl was sitting in the middle of the road and she wouldn't move. They got out of their vehicle to talk to her and she pointed to a spot in the road where the dirt had been disturbed. They checked it out and found a landmine had been placed there and they removed it. The little girl had seen people place it there the night before. She was holding some items in her hand, one of which was a Happy Factory toy. She said that the Americans had given it to her and she like the Americans and didn't want to see them get hurt.
What goes around comes around!
The Happy Factory has been traveling from Cedar City to our Charitable Contribution Campaign Kickoff for many years. They have handed out hundreds of their toys to the Department of Commerce employees. We appreciate the toys we have received as well as the toys they have distributed all over the world.
Charity Code is 1046
Website is http://www.happyfactory.org
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
~Edward Everett Hale
