"It's not our responsibility to make the children worthy of the world; rather, it is to make the world worthy of the children."
Charitable Opportunities
Charitable causes are all around us. Which ones are legitimate? Which make the best use of our contributions? Which one matches our individual desire to help? Charities for health issues, hunger, education, comfort, political issues, the environment and many more causes exist and the list goes on. There are so many charitable causes that sometimes we simply brush them aside with the mental note that we will get back to them when our heads are not spinning from all of the options.
The size of a charity also comes in to play. Is it so big that our contribution, large or small will have little impact?
Will it be eaten up in administrative costs?
In short, will it make a difference?
The size of a charity also comes in to play. Is it so big that our contribution, large or small will have little impact?
Will it be eaten up in administrative costs?
In short, will it make a difference?
The impetus for this site is to provide an
opportunity for all of us to consider tax deductible contribution
opportunities relating to smaller 501c3 non-profits that can match up
to projects that coincide with our interests. Also, the non-profits
that will be listed here are all screened and present worthwhile and
reliable repositories. The money invested will be carefully put to
constructive use.
Each non-profit listed will have a biographical sketch attached so that you will be able to select a match that mirrors your sense of what matters most to you. In the end, your contributions can be directed and targeted to those who you are most interested in helping.
Once you have reviewed the 501c3 non-profits and you would like to make a contribution, please fill out the contribution form with the amount of your contribution. A receipt will be emailed to you for your records.
Each non-profit listed will have a biographical sketch attached so that you will be able to select a match that mirrors your sense of what matters most to you. In the end, your contributions can be directed and targeted to those who you are most interested in helping.
Once you have reviewed the 501c3 non-profits and you would like to make a contribution, please fill out the contribution form with the amount of your contribution. A receipt will be emailed to you for your records.
“We take some wood that would be wasted, mix it with some time that would be wasted, and make a toy to stimulate a mind so that it won’t be wasted.”
“We may not be able to make a toy for every child in the world that needs one – but we are going to try!”
“Create a Smile, a Laugh, a Miracle in Your Own Life!”
“Thank you for the great service you are performing for the children who benefit from the generosity of the Happy Factory. It must be a wonderful feeling to know you are improving the lives of so many, who need so much.”
John F. Gardner, Principal
Jordan Valley School
“One day I went to the post office to pick up the mail, and there was a small envelope. I noticed the return address was just a street number in Tooele, Utah. I opened it, and there were two one-dollar bills and a little yellow note with a paper clip. The note said, ‘I’m sorry this is all the I can do; hope it will help.’ We have received many donations, but this one I will never forget. Two dollars; hope it will help. Two dollars will pay for four Happy Factory toys. I bet there are four children somewhere .in the world that think it helps a lot.”
Charles Cooley, Founder
The Happy Factory
“Thank you so much for your donation of 300 Happy Factory toys to Reach the Children. They are now on their way to Kenya and Uganda. Your gift… will allow these little ones to be children, to play and to dream, and to start to heal the wounds of a crew life that has been their lot so far. It will help in giving them hope; for a better future. How grateful we are that you have chosen to help us help these children in such a special way.”
Susan K. Sherwood
Reach the Children
About
The Happy Factory
The Happy Factory is a place of smiles. A place of laughs. A place of miracles! The volunteers who work in the shops and provide basic funding produce simple wooden toys for children around the world, over 1.4 million so far. And it has performed this joyful mission without paying a penny in salaries or wages for the basic ingredient of the toys – scrap wood.
Twenty years ago, Charles Cooley, recently retired and searching for a hobby, took up woodworking. After buying a few tools he began making high-quality but simple cars and trucks from patterns he drew. He thought of selling the toys at craft fairs, but in the end, decided to take a different path- donating them to children’s charities.
He soon discovered a huge need, and it wasn’t long before Charles and his wife, Donna, started seeking help from friends and volunteers to keep up with the demand for the toys.
Soon the vision for the Happy Factory was completely in place; Local cabinet shops donated the wood; volunteers cut the wooden blocks to shape, sand off any rough edges, attach the wheels, and ship the finished toys to children all over the world, from orphanages in Vietnam and Nicaragua to children’s hospitals in Salt Lake City and Ghana, from Operation Smile in Bolivia and Chine to a Head Start program on the Navajo Nation in Arizona. From that one little shop behind the Cooley home, the Happy Factory has grown to an organization that owns its building, with the only goal being to provide toys to the children of the world.
And these wooden toys and trucks are not as simple as they may seem. In many cases, they are a gift that helps unlock a child’s ability to think and to cope with the world around them. In many more cases, they act as therapeutic tools for children suffering from severe physical and emotional problems. In all cases, tey provide a smile, a laugh, and a miracle.