JOPLIN, Mo. — A 6-foot-tall, handcrafted grandfather clock is raffled off with all of the proceeds going to a non-profit veterans organization. Retired Army Colonel and lifelong woodworking enthusiast, Dr. Mike Judah spent several months and countless hours of his spare time putting together the unique furniture piece. Once finished, the grandfather clock was put on display at Henkle’s Ace Hardware in Webb City, MO, and raffled off on Veterans Day (November 11th, 2022). The lucky winners of the raffle are a woman and her husband from Saint Louis.
Dr. Judah said he wanted to raise at least $5,000 dollars; the amount the grandfather clock is worth. Thanks to everyone who purchased a raffle ticket, including a last-minute donation from Starting Point Outpatient Inc. in Joplin, the goal of raising $5,000 for “Our Veteran’s First” was successfully met.
Dr. Judah said the whole process, including the amount of time spent on building the clock, was well worth it. “It feels good to help other people who are less fortunate. Luckily, I’m at a stage in my life where I can afford to do this. I know a lot of veterans who were not as fortunate as I’ve been and I just wanted to help them as much as I could, so it’s a good feeling, and to be able to reach the goal that I wanted to reach, that’s really good too.”
All of the money raised will go to the non-profit organization, Our Veterans First. According to their website, the goal of the organization is to empower homeless military veterans by providing a safe environment in which they can restore mind, body, and spirit and prepare themselves to be independent and whole. You can learn more about Our Veterans First, HERE.
This may not be the last handcrafted piece of art that Dr. Judah builds. While the next wood fixture may not be a clock, it will be made to benefit a greater good. “I may do something like this again in the future if I’m able, we’ll see what happens. This has been fun for me. I really enjoyed building the clock and I enjoyed being able to donate it, too. With all of the time it took to build and then raffle, it was quite an adventure, and one that wouldn’t have been possible it if wasn’t for those at Henkel’s Ace Hardware in Webb City.” said Dr. Judah.
You can read the original story, HERE.