For Hobbycrafters, It's always Christmas

Written by Eva Opiela
Texas Catholic - January 1991

          DALLAS - While many North Texans are putting away rememberances of Christmas 1990, a group of local toy makers, the Hobbycrafters, are beginning preparations for Christmas 1991. For about 45 years, this group of men and women have volunteered hours on 49 Thursdays throughout the year to handcraft wooden toys, polished rock jewelry, and soft cloth dolls for disadvantaged children throughout the Dallas area.
          According to the group's founder, Dallas physican Dr. Arch J. McNeill, it all began when he made a house call to one of his patients, an older lady who lived on Irving Boulevard. Known for her generosity to wanderers and vagabonds, she would keep a pot of beans on her stove during the winter and serve them to those in need.
          Dr. McNeill offered to craft some toys in his workshop for the lady to give out to the needy children at Christmas. He and some friends made 100 toys that first Christmas. The next year they made 200.
          Since then, the group of toy makers has grown from a handful to more than 15 regulars who show up at Doc's toyshop on Forney Road in Southeast Dallas every week. Many more do work at home and at craft sessions at local churches, social service agencies and through Mrs. McNeill's garden club. A local high school even gets involved as a class creates doll faces, which are later handpainted and sewn into soft cloth bodies by the Hobbycrafters.
          And according to Dr. McNeill and Jerry Reichert, the head Hobbycrafter since last year, volunteers' reasons are as varied as the individuals themselves. Dr. McNeill, now 80 years of age, said "It's just a lot of fun! That's all!"
          For Lou Doty, 75, who got involved in Hobbycrafters after suffering a stroke a few years ago, it's "the association" with others. "I like to be needed", said Mrs. Doty, who attended St. Edward Parish in Dallas. "When you've been active all your life, you can't just settle down and do nothing."
          "We've got the greatest comradery you've ever seen in your life", said Mr. Reichert, who is a member of St. Ann Parish in Kaufman. "People who worked with us in the past have been as young as 8 or 10 years and as old as 85. And they all get along magnificently!"
          The median age of the Hobbycrafters is around 50 years - some older and some younger. Their faith backgrounds - Jewish, Catholic, Protestant - are as widely varied as their professional backgrounds - housewives, lawyers, electricians, doctors. While many live in Dallas and its immediate suburbs, some drive from towns as far away as Bedford, Duncanville, Canton, Cedar Hill, Grand Prairie and Sulphur Springs. And no previous experience is required.
          "If you are intelligent enough to hold a piece of wood down on another piece of wood and take a pencil around the edge of it, you're hired - for nothing!" said Mr. Reichert, adding that one lady who has been with the group for years only hammers. "She loves to hammer. That is her thing. So we put her to hammering!"
          The group gathers for about three hours on Thursday nights. And they take one 15-minute break at 8 p.m.
          According to Mr. Reichert, "there is no organization. We never know who is going to show up. I may be running a machine and someone will walk by and tap me on the shoulder and say 'Hi Jerry!' And they will go and do what they are supposed to be doing. They know what needs to be done. It's the most fantastic thing."
          Together, the groups at the toyshop, individual homes and social clubs create no less than 5,000 toys a year ranging from sturdy, wooden race cars, milk trucks, jeeps, push ducks, pull rabbits and step stools, to hand sewn cloth dolls who snugly rest in wooden cradles. Tumbled blocks, spools and wheels are made from remaining scraps of wood and poured into bags for younger children. Bracelets and necklaces handcrafted with polished rocks are made for older children.
          And while Mr. Reichert sats the simple brightly-painted gifts "may not be of the finest quality work", they are "made with more love and care than any toy you've ever bought." "And it's amazing how many steps go into making these little toys", he continued, holding in his hands a green jeep with red wheels and seats and silver bottle cap headlights.
          Many who volunteer not only give time but material goods and money at the urging of Dr. McNeill, said Mr. Reichert. In the past, Doc has had an unending source of workers and money because a person would come to see him and Doc would say,'You really need to breathe more saw dust. Show up at this address Thursday night.' He said, "After you're there once or twice, you pretty well stay."
          Materials for the toys themselves comes from local lumber yards, hardware stores and rubber supply companies, to name a few, who either give the Hobbycrafters discounts or materials for free. All donations, monetary or material, are tax-deductible.
          And what material goods and equipment Dr. McNeil couldn't get donated throughout the past 45 or so years, he purchases with his own money. Just like he did this past year when monetary donations covered only about half of the almost $9,800 budget. He even pays the light bill.
          But Dr. McNeill retired from active practice in 1985. And as the Hobbycrafters and those who have traditionally contributed funds and materials grow old and pass on to the great toy land in the sky, the workers and donations have gradually begun to dry up.
          "When I first started working with this, there was a list of people who I could call and identify myself and they would send a check for $200 or $300 or $500 with no problem. They expected it every year", said Mr. Reichert. "But some of the people have died. And as they die, I'm having a hard time replacing them with others."
          "I just wish someone would adopt us and help us with our budget", said Mr. Reichert, adding that the benefits their gift can bring are high. "If you put a dollar into my cause, I'm going to come out with a dollar's worth of toys. There is no overhead, no salaries to pay", he said, "If you take the total number of toys that we put out and divide that by the number of dollars we spent, including the light bill, they cost $1.63 total. Can you imagine that?"
          More than 15 local churches and service organizations receive the toys yearly for distribution to the needy. Many have been involved since the group's inception.
          Said Mr. Reichert, "A year or two ago, people from the churches in West Dallas were picking the toys up and a kid who was about 14 years old came to help. I handed this kid some jeeps and he said. 'Hey I got a jeep just like this from this church when I was a kid. I've still got that jeep. The wheels are gone, but I've still got it.' The kid was 14 years old and he still had it. That little jeep meant something to him."

These pages were done by Susan Tuscana and are the property of Hobby Crafters Foundation. Do not use without express permission from both the above stated parties.