Bennett’s Beavers is a Hamburg-based nonprofit that creates handmade wooden toys for hospitalized children. Founded in 1995, the organization began when Jim Bennett was asked to make a small batch of wooden cars for children at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. What started as a simple volunteer project grew into a year-round effort supported by a dedicated team of local volunteers.
Volunteers work together to cut, sand and prepare wooden figures that are distributed to children’s hospitals, camps and other facilities. The unfinished toys give children an opportunity to paint, decorate and personalize something of their own while they are receiving medical care or participating in therapeutic and recreational programs.
Today, Bennett’s Beavers produces tens of thousands of wooden toys each year in a wide variety of designs. Its work has expanded well beyond its original hospital, with toys now reaching children at facilities throughout Michigan and across the country. The organization remains entirely volunteer-run, with donated materials and community support helping keep production going.
The organization operates from a former Hamburg Township fire hall that was donated to Bennett’s Beavers after years of local support. Volunteers continue to gather regularly at the facility to prepare toys, maintain equipment and fill requests from hospitals and camps that depend on the organization’s work.
Community members can support Bennett’s Beavers through financial donations, volunteering, donated materials and participation in fundraising events such as its annual golf outing and charity car show. These contributions help provide equipment, supplies and other resources needed to continue creating toys for hospitalized children.