Agency Details:

"We take some wood that would be wasted, mix it with some time that would be wasted, and make a toy to stimulated a mind so that it won't be wasted." Charles Cooley, Founder

Description:
Volunteers at the Happy Factory make high quality but simple cars and trucks. They cut the wooden blocks to shape, sand off any rough edges, attach the wheels, and ship the finished toys to children all over the world. They go to orphanages in Vietnam, to children's hospitals in Salt Lake City and Ghana, to Operation Smile in Bolivia and China, to a Head Start program on the Navajo Nation. The motto of Happy Factory is: We may not be able to make a toy for every child in the world that needs one - but we're going to try!

History:
Following retirement Charles Cooley took up woodworking and began making small cars and trucks. He thought of selling the toys but in the end decided to take a different path - donating them to children's charities. Before long Charles and his wife Donna had the vision for Happy Factory completely in place. Local cabinet shops donate the wood and volunteers make the toys. From that one little shop behind the Cooley home, The Happy Factory has grown to an organization of over thirty branches with the only goal being to provide toys to the children of the world.

Contact person: Donna Cooley, (phone)

Address:

896 North 2175 West Circle Cedar City, UT 84720 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.happyfactory.org

Directions:

The Happy Factory is located close to the Cedar City Municipal Airport.

Last updated on May 11, 2009