Pictured R-L―Front row: Erwin Brauer, Becky Haldorson, Stan Mastej
Back row: Jake De Lange, Ray Dering, Mike Paciorek

Erwin Brauer a resident of Victorian Village in Homer Glen and several of his woodshop buddies, including Stan Mastej, Jake DeLange and Ray Dering have spent the past six months constructing step stools, marble tic-tac-toe games and the peg game that you can’t miss seeing whenever you visit a Cracker Barrel restaurant.

They have been building these items to help raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. The items are currently being sold through the Victorian Village gift shop and every penny goes to the Alzheimer’s Association.

“I am honored that these gentlemen chose the Alzheimer's Association to donate the proceeds from these neat wood projects. Donations to the Association help us to provide education and support for those with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers,” said Becky Haldorson, Regional Director for the Greater Illinois Chapter. “The step stool and the peg game are great, but I have to admit that the marble tic-tac-toe game is my favorite. Such a fun idea!”

Haldorson presented Brauer’s team with Alzheimer’s Association t-shirts and Christmas coffee mugs for their generous efforts.

What makes Brauer’s creations so amazing is the fact that he’s legally blind. The former high school shop teacher began losing his sight in 1998.

“He may have lost his vision but he’s never lost the ability to do what he’s so good at,” Victorian Village general manager Mike Venzon said. “The fact that he’s using his God-given talent to help others, while he himself lost his sight, is simply amazing.”

Brauer feels good about what he’s doing and is working on new items for 2004.

“I feel like I’m contributing to something,” he said. “Maybe this is one of the reasons God allowed me to come live here.”

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