All Lives Matter... Police More!
My name is Scott McClain. I live in Palm Harbor, Fl. I am a woodworker who cares about police.
I started making pens about 6-7 months ago. What I've kind of kept to myself was the fact that on occasion that I'd see a local sheriffs deputy in my neighborhood and I was able to flag them down I would give them a free pen and case.
In light of recent events I wanted to increase that effort but I also was concerned that I may be stepping over some line that even each of the deputies were not aware that we shouldn't be crossing as my "Gift of Appreciation" might be misconstrued and therefore getting the recipient of the gift (each deputy) and even myself into hot water. So I called the public relations department at Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to address that issue and was told it would be fine!
Well the next thing I know I have reporters calling on me to do interviews! Wow! Who would have guessed right? I did two interviews. One Saturday and another today that was very nicely done by ABC News Reporter Nicole Grigg. Here is the link to the video that they aired today on their 4:00 p.m. The Now Tampa Bay.
I also started reaching out to members of my local woodcrafters club Woodcrafters Club of Tampa to see if any of them would be interested in helping out and so far a couple have shown interest.
I also contacted the manager of Rockler Woodworking and Hardware in Altamonte Springs, Fl as just a few days before I had purchased a brand new bandsaw from them and wanted to see if they would be interested in helping support this cause. It felt like a long shot but much to my surprise Patrick was more than eager to do so. As of my writing this message he is working on finding out what exactly the extent of that support will be but that they will help in some
I have some very lofty goals but I believe, with your help, we can actually achieve these goals.
1. Since I live in Pinellas County, Fl I want to get one of these custom pens into the hands of each employee of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. As was stated in the news report that means over 2800 pens and cases that need to made.
2. If that is achieved then I would like to start moving to other local law enforcement agencies.
3. Reach out to woodworkers all over the state and even the nation and get those others to begin the same process in their area(s)!
You can see the pens I've currently got ready to go in the video but you can also see some of them on my woodworking page I have setup on Facebook:
There is quite alot that goes into being able to craft these custom pens. There are the kits themselves, the wood (I use exotic hardwoods of all kinds to make them), the finishing products, polishing products and then the cost of distributing them. Then there is the cost of the tools, the tool maintainence and I'm sure things I am not even thinking of right now. As you might see, the cost of creating a single pen is difficult to pinpoint but as near as I can tell so far it probably costs me around $20 - $50 to create each pen depending upon the different pen styles and types of wood used.
This will be an ongoing effort but in order for me to really get this ball rolling the sooner I can get funded for this the sooner some of the goals can begin to be reached.
I truly believe that in these very troubling times in our countries law enforcement agencies that we as a people need to show them that there are those of us who do care! We can hand these people, yes, they are people with families, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, wives and husbands just like you and I! They have mortgages, car payments, taxes and insurances just like us and I have discovered much to my dismay how little these people make due to goverment budgets and cutbacks for putting their lives on the line for you and I on a daily basis. These people leave their homes and somewhere, even if it is in the back of their minds, have the fear that they may never see their beloved family members again... and they are doing this to make the world a better and safer place for "US"! I believe it takes a special kind of person to be a law enforcement official. I believe they do care about us and want to do what they do to make our world better. Let us show them we care by giving them these small tokens of our appreciation that they will be able to use everyday and remind them that there are those of that do care and cherish their lives and efforts to make our lives better!
My own heart is heavy with the condition of our country and the way law enforcement is viewed. On a personal level it would also help me to have faith in the human race to see others support this effort.
I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for any support that you give and I'm sure those that recieve the gifts will thank you too... by going out and protecting you everyday!
I vow that 100% of any donations will in someway go into this effort!
As required by the State of Florida under the Solicitation and Contributions Act I have registered for the "Small Charitable Organizations/Sponsors" Document #: 2836259
