16991 Old U.S. 27 Suite A - Lansing, Michigan ... Mailing Address: PO Box 23181, Lansing, MI 48909-3181 |
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Our Motto: "People don't stop doing things because they get older; They get older because they stop doing things." |
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What Does the Toy Project Do? The R. J. Scheffel Memorial Toy Project provides, without charge, wooden toys, memory boxes, and games, hand crafted by volunteers, for children who are disadvantaged, homeless, needy or in crisis. We are “Toy Makers” for disadvantaged children of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties. A majority of the toys are distributed in Lansing and the surrounding tri-county area. Lansing’s Salvation Army received and distributed 3,843 toys to needy families during December 2018. Approximately 40% of a year’s production goes to the Salvation Army. C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Gilda’s Club and Mary Free Bed Hospital in Grand Rapids are also recipients. 315 toy police cars were made for the Michigan State Police in the last 7 years plus 287 for the East Lansing Police Department in the last eight years. Ele’s Place in Lansing provides bereavement counseling to children and received 4,048 memory boxes for the past eight years. Ele’s Place now has locations in Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids and memory boxes are supplied to them too. THE R. J. SCHEFFEL STORY Rueben Jacob Scheffel was a retired grocer living on Rundle Street in the Colonial Village area of southwest Lansing. Wooden toy making for the neighborhood children began about 1959 and continued until his death in 1978 at age 89. Thereafter the Lansing area Kiwanis Clubs became involved and volunteers came aboard. Those details are unknown. Santa's Elves carry on Mr. Scheffel's tradition of making toys. The 'Elves' come from very diverse backgrounds. Engineering: civil, design and mechanical engineers, 2 psychologists, a psychiatrist, informational technology and special insurance sales, an elementary school teacher, secondary education and high school basketball coaches, a retired high school shop teacher, a RN, a die sinker, production scheduler, a former Lansing police officer, an administrative law judge, an attorney, a fellow from Michigan Department of Transportation and various other backgrounds. Several have a
connection with Michigan State University: the former campus police
chief (Director of Public Safety); Director of the Archives, Director
of Alumni Career Placement, the MSU Counseling Center, former MSU's
professors of landscaping, of crops & soil sciences. One gentleman
is credited with the development of Controlled Atmosphere Storage for
apples so that they are still crispy in the spring of the year.
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