# Fundraiser for a boy with cancer and free blanks!



## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

A week or so ago a fellow over at IAP, Youthministerdan, posted about a 13 year old boy in the youth group he ministers who was undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous shoulder bone and replace it with a cadaver bone. This young fellow is also going through chemo treatments and had just learned to turn his first pen right before his cancer treatments began.

Anyway, Dan decided that he was going to do some type of fundraiser to try to help the family with their expenses. Being from a family who has had to deal with cancer care with both my mom and dad, I know how much financial, mental, and physical burden treatment can have on you. I can not even begin to imagine the stress when it is your child that is going though it!

Originally, I offered to send Dan as many pen blanks as he wanted so he could make pens to auction or sell. Upon thinking about this further, I realized that was just going to overwhelm Dan with a lot of work and that we could be more effective if we had a lot more people making pens and sending them to Dan. As a result, here is what I have come up with to try to help...

I have created and added a "Taste of Texas Sampler Mini Pack" with 5 unique, quality Texas wood pen blanks to my website. The price shown on this pack is $12 but I will give them to you free other than $2.00 for shipping if you agree to make at least one pen of your choice from one of the blanks and send it to Dan for his fundraiser. You can choose up to 4 sets and if the shipping portion exceeds the cost of a small flat rate PM box, I will refund the difference. I DO NOT want to make any money from this at all.

To participate

Go to this page


Add up to 4 sets to your cart (remember, you agree to send at least 1 pen for each set you get!)
Use coupon code *CODY* and it should take $10 off for each of the samplers that you order
Go to check-out and *choose local pickup* so you will not be charged additional shipping
Check out and pay for shipping via paypal or credit card
 _*By participating in this offer, you are giving your word that you will follow through and send at least one pen per Sampler Mini Pack that you receive. No further proof is required.*_

BTW, I have had the pleasure of meeting Dan in person when he came down for a visit one weekend. He even spent the night in our guestroom! He live in the DFW Metroplex and I will certainly vouch for him and know that any and all pens that he receives will be put to good use for Cody's benefit.


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

I'm in Brother.
Your a good man


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

I'm in, Curtis...if I can figure out your ordering directions. LOL

I'll order four and turn some different styles of pens and send him all four of them.

Might chunk in a couple of cartridge/antler pens as well.. They sell well at auctions.

re-read your post and will order enough to send him mebbe a dozen pens.


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Do you have the date of the auction?


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## FishBone (Oct 11, 2004)

I'm in.


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## Bobby (May 21, 2004)

Done deal


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

Oh *****! I put this up and so far, have had orders for 89 sets of blanks! That means 89 pens for the benefit but it also means I have to come up with 445 pen blanks! I never thought it would get so much participation! Thank you all for chipping in to help out! The pen blanks are not a problem since I have more wood then I could ever use and I have a friend from IAP that is coming over tomorrow to help me pull it all together. This is certainly 2cool!!


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

This was posted at IAP by Dan, the fellow we are sending the pens to:



> We will be doing the fundraiser/benefit on Sunday Sept 19th. If I could get all of the pens the week before, or the very latest by the Sept 15th that would be great.
> 
> Thanks again,
> Dan


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Thanks for the dates Curtis. I guess I'm the slow one in this bunch, so I will start on them asap. I still have more pens to get to TexasT to ship to the troops

I sure hope they get a lot in attendance. That's a lot of pens


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

bill;2926711
I sure hope they get a lot in attendance. [B said:


> That's a lot of pens[/B]


LOL.. I had the same thought.. Ninety pens might be overkill if they don't have a BIG crowd...LOL

Also, Curtis..where do we send the pens when they are ready ??


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

I will include the address on a piece of paper with each set so you can just cut it out and tape it on the package.


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

I'm in too. It's bad enough when things like that hit us old pharts but it shouldn't happen to children. I can't imagine going through that with a child and I can't imagine what that child is going through. My prayers are with him.


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

Just to be clear on my post above...I am not complaining at all about the number of blanks. It did surprise me how successful this has been but I have PLENTY of wood. I bet I have at least 10,000 pen blanks in log form and the right equipment to cut them up! I also have plenty of already dry material ready to make blanks out of. Last night I cut nearly 500 pen blanks and as of this afternoon, I have 700 blanks ready to go!

I currently have orders for 111 sets of blanks so keep up the great support, guys! Thanks!


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## quickstix (Dec 23, 2007)

Count us in. 

It's a great thing you are doing Curtis.


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## FishBone (Oct 11, 2004)

Got my blanks in the mail. I will get some pens made and sent out this week.


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## Flat Fish (Jun 18, 2005)

Got mine too. Great looking wood and very nicely packaged. Now I just need to run by Woodcraft as I only have one nice kit on hand.


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

MIne showed up too, time to get busy.


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## Robert A. (Jan 8, 2009)

Please send me the address for my donation.. it turns out i can only make duck calls.. Go figure...


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## FishBone (Oct 11, 2004)

Pens are made. I will put them in the mail next week. I also will be sending a set of darts I made.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Got the blanks this week also, Curtis.. Below is what I am sending...may mix and match a little....tried to put a little something different in for variety's sake...

Nice blanks..by the way... Thanks...jim


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

Jim, you sure set the bar high. Good looking pens.


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Viking48 said:


> Jim, you sure set the bar high. Good looking pens.


LOL...no 'bar setting', Tom...Just an old phart with nuthin' left to do in this world.. Welcomed a chance at 'thinning out the herd', so to speak. (i.e..doing SOMETHING with the accumulation of pens I've ended up with.)

Hope Dan can get some good prices for all our work and help out the kid. Kinda got a soft spot for children in trouble... and thanks again to Curtis for coming up with the idea.. Whacking out a thousand blanks might not have been exactly what he had in mind to begin with...:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


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## PenMakerWillie (Nov 5, 2008)

Sent 4 off this morning! Hope we can raise a whole bunch for the boy.


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## Flat Fish (Jun 18, 2005)

I knocked out 3, finally, that I plan to get in the mail tomorrow. These are Hackberry, Escarpment Black Cherry and Texas Elm. They are all nice, but the Elm is AWESOME. It looks fantastic on the ultra cigar.


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## Bobby (May 21, 2004)

Sent 4 off this morning. Sorry Mama was rushing me so I didn't get pictures.


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

I had some go out on Saturday. Nothing fancy but hope they can be used as give-a-ways or however they can be best used.


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## Viking48 (Jan 24, 2006)

Sent 4 last week - hope the organizers can raise a ton for the youngster.


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## MesquiteMan (Jun 28, 2008)

I don't think I have updated my fellow 2-coolers on this. I am sincerely sorry about that!

YouthministerDan had a local benefit/silent auction in the Dallas area a while back. They raised $3,500 for the family and he still has quite a few pens left. I am currently building a website where we will have the remaining pens up for auction. When I have the site ready, I will post the info here so you guys can get the word out to your friends and family and see if we can not get even more money for this family. Thanks to all of you who participated so far!


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