Greenville’s woodworking community constructs ways to serve their city
For the more than 8oo members of Greenville’s Woodworkers Guild, carpentry is more than just building things out of wood. The Guild views woodworking as an art form, each cut of the band saw is the same as the stroke of a painter’s brush.
Founded in the 1980s, the Greenville Woodworkers Guild was created with the vision of bettering the community by not only teaching the valuable skill of woodworking to their members, but using those skills to give back. Their mission is simple: teach members how to work with wood, expand the public’s knowledge of woodworking as art, and help the community through charitable acts.
Now, more than thirty years running, the Guild has more members than ever, plus a permanent facility equipped with machinery, a library, and an auditorium.
The Guild is continuing their focus on learning, from beginners classes to advanced seminars, but also works to impact Greenville by donating their time and work to nonprofit organizations. They have made everything from furniture for Habitat for Humanity to wheelchair ramps for community members to police department lecterns.
Their work is scattered across Greenville, in homes, schools, and hospitals, serving as permanent reminders of the Guild’s generous and creative nature.