POWERGRAMS

14 ENERGIZERS Completed coffee table. Farmer's creations are popular at fundraisers. Southeast Division Energizers Improve Their Community Proceeds from the Southeast Energizers' annual auction are funneled directly to the community, benefiting nonprofit organizations throughout the Southeastern area and beyond, Gloria Wills said. Beneficiaries have included: • Boys & Girls Club of Lake Eufaula • Coffee County Training Center • The Family Place • Harvest Time Ministries • House of Ruth • Valley Haven School • Vivian B. Adams School • Project Lifesaver • Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center Inc. • Wounded Warriors. ENERGIZERS daughter-in-law, Danny and Debbie, asked him to build a china cabinet to fit a corner of their dining room. Meeting the exact measurements – 40-inches tall by 41-inches wide by 12-inches deep – Farmer is honing red oak into custom cabinetry. Taking pains to ensure the wood is perfectly finished, as he does with all his pieces, Farmer is sanding the wood to a smooth surface, painting it with clear polyurethane. After it dries, he repeats the process. "I will add glass shelves and doors," he said. "She wants glass doors so you can see the dishes inside." Off to market at Energizer's Annual Auction A member of the Energizers retiree group since retiring in 1998 as Southeast Division's Industrial Marketing manager, Farmer often puts his skills to use for "the cause" – raising funds for nonprofit organizations that benefit his community. Farmer always donates several pieces to sell in Southeast Energizers' annual auction. "This is for charity," said Farmer, Southeast Chapter's treasurer for five years, after serving a two-year stint as president. "Come and bring your checkbook and bid and buy. I brought 12 birdhouses once, and sold them all." He sometimes struggles to decide what pieces to offer for charity. "You don't want to build the same thing over and over again," Farmer said. "I've been doing this awhile, so it's difficult not to repeat some things. You almost have to build something relatively small so people can get it home. If I make a table or something that's a pretty good size, people have to find a place to put it. The buyer has to get it home." A couple of years ago, a spirited bidding war – all in good fun – erupted for a walnut chairside table that delivered $300 to Southeast Chapter's coffers. Farmer's "funky pair" of stools – fashioned from cherry, oak and walnut – were bought by one Energizer as gifts to his grandchildren. "It makes me feel good to know that people are willing to bid on the items that I make," Farmer said. "I also know who ends up with them." He crafted several pieces for the Energizer's auction on March 9 at the company's Southeast Division auditorium. Farmer supplied a floating tabletop with legs and skirt hewn of red oak, and a walnut top. He made two sets of Alabama- and Auburn University-themed cornhole games, which are popular selections. Professional auctioneer and Southeast Division retiree Rodney Outlaw energizes the crowd, and it's not unusual to hear jubilant "whoops and hollers" as the winners claim their selections. Auction proceeds allow Southeast Chapter Energizers to make large donations to about 10 charities annually, said longtime chapter secretary Gloria Wills. Farmer appreciates attendees' support in bidding on and buying the items. "I'm always a little nervous about how my things will sell," Farmer said. "Our folks have been very generous to buy these things with the intent of helping out the Energizers' charitable donations. All credit goes to our folks who attend the auction and buy. You can make all the things you want, but if they don't support the auction and buy the items, our efforts aren't worth 2 cents."

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