Local woodturner creates pens for Ukraine relief

By Lethbridge Herald on April 19, 2022.

Herald photo by Al Beeber Terry Beaton displays one of the specially designed pens in the colours of Ukraine he has crafted. The pens are being sold at the Allied Arts Council store downtown with proceeds going to Ukraine relief efforts through the Red Cross.

Al Beeber – Lethbridge Herald

City woodturner Terry Beaton has embarked on a project to help Ukraine relief efforts with specially crafted pens.

Using acrylic blanks in the colours of Ukraine’s flag, Beaton is crafting the pens and selling them at the Allied Arts Council store downtown. The AAC agreed to waive its normal commission so all proceeds can go directly to the Red Cross.

The pens are priced at $40 and so far Beaton, a member of the Chinook Woodturning Guild, has crafted 15 of them.

“It just sickens me,” says Beaton of the Ukraine situation.

One of his suppliers in the U.S. came up with the idea of the pens.

“I thought that would be perfect. It’s something I could do. I’ve got the pen kits here and I talked to Susanne (Lint) at the Allied Arts Council…and asked if they would sell them for me,” said Beaton whose work along with many others, is sold at the AAC outlet.

“My intent is to make up the pens, which I’ve done, and sell them with the entire proceeds donated to the relief fund through the Red Cross,” Beaton said.

He’s already turned a couple of hundred pens of different types “so it’s not something that’s strange to me.”

The AAC has 10 in stock at its store already.

“It’s a good cause and it’s a limited supply because as far as I know there’s not another woodturner in Lethbridge that has brought these blanks in and the company in the States is actually out” of supply, said Beaton, who has been with the woodturning guild for two decades.

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