Why Give?

Why give to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking? Here are just a few good reasons:

Preserving Tradition

We are committed to passing along the living tradition of woodworking – rooted in techniques that create lasting results and instilling the values of fine craftsmanship, sustainability, and creative expression. Your support allows this legacy to continue.

We have our eye on the future

We remain committed to sustainability through retrofitting existing buildings, teaching and practicing traditional skills that endure the test of time, and using locally harvested woods and reclaimed lumber.  We are always looking for opportunities to expand our contribution to sustainable projects and practices.

We are teaching valuable skills

In our vocational courses, one third of our students are preparing for their first careers, another third are workers retraining for a new career, and an increasing number of these are veterans returning from service.  And the other third? Retirees expanding their skills and improving their quality of life… and we all know this is invaluable.

We’re contributing to our community

Regionally, the school is meeting the growing demand for preservation wood workers, furniture makers, and the opportunity to study with master craftspeople. 

We change lives

In the end, what we do is simpler and profound.  We change lives.  Our students experience a transformation they rarely anticipate when they enroll.  It’s not just about the final product; it’s what they learn in the process and how it changes them forever.  In their words:

"I feel so much more confident to explore other types of handwork now. I can see how the work ethic and measured practice that I’ve learned from woodworking applies to other things I do." - Student of 12 week Foundations of Woodworking

"…it changed the way I think about, probably everything: trees, buildings, myself, the physical space I'm in, working in silence vs. working with noise and music." - Abby Cummings, 2014 Alum

"Biggest impact is the…thought process instruction/guidelines/ideas. This has simplified projects or ideas from creation to execution. It has helped me even at my day job-the way I think or look at something." - Billy Rogers, 2014 Alum

"The school has opened my mind to ways of doing things that I could never come up with on my own." -Jeff Johnson, 2015 Alum

Are you looking for additional ways to contribute?  Consider our Scholarship Fund, Tool Donation Program, or Volunteering.