November 9. On Sunday, the veterans pounded nails into the walls of the aviary, joking as they traded hammers, nails and drills.
The new woodworking club at the Spokane Veterans Home has six regulars who gather once a week around a long dining table. The group has become so popular that the center has encouraged the community to donate woodworking tools, from hand saws to power drills.
"It's a benefit for local veterans," said Willard Wilson, 75, an Army veteran and author. “It gives me more relaxation and time with other people. It takes my mind off things and gives me a chance to hit my frustrations with a hammer.
By Nov. 5, the group had built 11 birdhouses decorated with American flags. Saturday, 11 a.m., Jack & Dan's Bar and Grill, 1226 N. Three of them will be in the auction basket at the Veterans Day event in Hamilton.
The group's remaining birdhouses will be sold at each event and then in the lobby of the Spokane Veterans Home for $20. Proceeds from Saturday's fundraiser and birdhouse sale will go to the "beautification fund " from the event center and to community activities.
Sherry Hendon, a social worker at a veterans home, had the idea of creating a club. After moving to Nine Mile Falls, he began woodworking at home. The previous owner of the property left the lumber for the mill.
In passing on what he has learned to veterans, Hendon thanks two donors who made it possible.
“This club started with a donation from a Suncrest couple, Moe and Carlene Moyer,” Hendon said.
“They are a big sponsor here, especially during the holidays. They needed something to build around the house and had a bunch of extra cedar wood, so I went looking for it.
Because of the large amount of wood involved, Hendon first turned to his 10-year-old nephew, Raylan Beirle, for help. He arrived later, on October 29, to see them and help them build an aviary.
“When they were loose items, there were 98 of them and I took them home,” he said. His nephew helped him paint and seal.
“I wanted to be here and keep us all together. When they were all in the store, I said, "Grab a brush, start with this one, and meet me halfway." My son is also a veteran, so they do what they can,” he said.
The motivation to introduce older people to crafts goes beyond the scope of the project.
“It's good for friendship, it gets you out of the house and it's a good time to tell stories and just hang out and get to know each other,” he said. "Critical thinking skills are used frequently, so the brain is constantly working."
Annie McCurdy, a recreational therapist, helped Hendon start the group.
"It took us a little while to measure everything," McCurdy said. “It was all over the place on that board. They had to look at the diagrams and decide, OK, we need a lot of these 5 1/4 x 8 and 5 1/2 x 8. Then we need to take a little break from the table. "
Both he and Hendon circle the table and offer help when needed.
Hendon said it helped that the veteran of the group had math skills.
"When it became a fractional equations scenario, we said, 'Please don't make this any harder than it already is.' We're struggling," she said. "He took care of it, he had it all."
Gary Wright, 65, was busy setting up the side of a birdhouse. He said the spinal cord injury left him paralyzed in the lower half of his body, but he could use his arms. He jokes with Willard, who sits next to him. The group worked on the project for about two hours before lunch.
"I've been with this club since the beginning," Wright said. “I come from a family of carpenters. My father was a businessman and all of us children (I am the third of six children) helped dad. “He taught us everything he knew, so I worked with wood for quite a while.”
Bill Bresko, 97, began collecting items with McCurdy's help. Bresco served in the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. Hendon said he lost his home in the Medical Lake fire in August.
Bresko worked in construction and carpentry on the farm.
“We had to build a barn and a woodshed,” said Bresko, who also did projects in remote areas of Alaska while he and his wife did missionary work.
Myrlene Spiess, 77, helped the group sand and hang the flags during a visit to Hendon. Her husband served in the Air Force.
“I try everything here,” he said of the veterans home. "I also competed in wheelchair racing."
Panelist Robert Smith, a 76-year-old Air Force veteran, stopped briefly because he had an audience, but offered some advice. He worked as an electrical contractor, but after the military he lived on a farm in Sandpoint.
“I’ve been a wood carver my whole life,” he said. “We were always doing something on the farm. Always have a hammer or rope on hand because we made the big detour.
After the birdhouse, the group plans to build shelves and coat racks and resell the proceeds to benefit veterans. The group continues to improve its work and any donation will help with supplies, Hendon said.
Other essentials include a plane, file, hammer, screwdriver, tape measure, square, miter saw, lathe, clamp, and oscillating spindle sander.
Hendon said people can visit the Spokane Veterans Home, 222 E., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Donations can be left for the Fifth Avenue Woodworking Club.
"We definitely need more drills because we compete for them, as well as hammers and nails."
