"I can't see good wood going to the dump," said John Britton while showing City Editor Jack a collection of crafted school desks in the wood shop of Aldersgate, a senior living community in east Charlotte.

While other artists work in oil or clay, Britton found a passion for wood from an early age — recalling making his first bird house in kindergarten.

John Britton has collected hundreds of samples of different woods during decades of woodworking. | Photo by CLTtoday

"When I go into the wood shop, my body relaxes but every project has some sort of a challenge," said Britton, who emphasized finding patience and enjoyment in the process of transforming the chunk of a tree into a functional object.

Editor's note: Britton crafted a truncated barrel frame around a stained glass pub sign hanging today in the Wintersgate building of Aldersgate.

Britton used his gift and ingenuity to pay it forward — crafting twelve school desks from salvaged solid oak discarded from a church remodeling project in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The goal was to one day donate them to children furthering their education in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When John and his wife Mary moved to Aldersgate, they became involved with the Aldersgate Wood Worker Group, a group of residents who joined the mission to complete the desks.

"I like wood," said Aldersgate resident Richard Havelka. "There's something about it. The smell of it when you cut it. Wood is just so forgiving."

Francina Taveras from ourBRIDGE for KIDS recently visited Aldersgate, thanking John Britton for his work on the student desk project. | Photo by CLTtoday

The Aldersgate Wood Worker Group recently celebrated the completion of the project. The finished desks were donated to ourBRIDGE for KIDS — a local nonprofit supporting education in communities with large immigrant populations in Charlotte.

"Having a special desk while doing your homework makes you feel so much more special. You feel serious about it," said Francina Taveras, Program Manager for K-8 at ourBRIDGE for KIDS' east location. Taveras added a child's desk can encourage kids to not only do homework, but expand their creative opportunities — to read, draw, or create artwork.

A mutual love for woodworking has provided Britton and the Aldersgate Wood Worker Group a deeper sense of community and the opportunity to provide a gift from one generation to the next.

"I'm very proud it," said Britton. "I saved the wood from the dump and turned it into something that will hopefully be a benefit to the kids."