GIVE BACK
Every healthy community has a give and take among its members and the Maker Lab is no different. We believe in leading with kindness and generosity, paying it forward, giving back, doing more than is expected and leaving things better than we found them. Our maker community often tells us that the free access to tools and support has been a blessing to them and that they’d like to be able to give back in some way. In response to that, we’ve identified several ways for our community members to pay it forward.
Materials
We love receiving donations of materials. Many people, after completing a project in the Maker Lab, will leave left-over parts or excess supplies for someone else to use. Paint, stain, lumber, paper, fabric, nails, screws are all used and reused on a daily basis in the Maker Lab. Many times, these items might sit unused on a shelf or in a storage box at home, but in the Maker Lab, those are always recycled and given new life. Making a donation of materials directly benefits others in our maker community that don’t have the time or money to make a trip to the big box store.
Time & Expertise
Our maker community has many people who like to help, teach and volunteer. If you’ve benefitted from your time in the Maker Lab, we’d love for you to pay it forward to someone else. This could be as simple as spending a few extra minutes showing someone how to use the tool you just finished with, to leading an organized workshop on something you have a passion for, to sweeping the floor when things get messy. We believe in the power of kindness and generosity and we know that one small act can lead to great opportunity.
Money
Many of the recycled materials available to makers in the Maker Lab still have value. Leftover plywood pieces, a yard of fabric, leather scraps or small electronics components are often available for use, due to the kindness of someone else who has donated them. While it is always okay for others to use these recycled materials for free, we do want to provide an opportunity for people to pay what they want for them. We always accept donations at our front desk for these materials and can happily offer a receipt and a note of thanks.
