2026 Wig Stand Project by West Virginia Woodturners Association in Lewisburg

PRESS RELEASE

On October 7, 2026 the West Virginia Wood Turners Association, located in Lewisburg, WV., donated 35 Wig Stands to the CAMC (Charleston Area Medical Center) Cancer Center in Charleston, WV. This is the second year in a row that our members have risen to the challenge and made these donations possible. This year, eleven members volunteered their time and materials to hand craft an impressive collection of 35 wig stands. These stands were all made of a variety or combination of woods like Purple Heart, Padauk, Spalted Maple, Birdseye Maple, Figured Walnut, Cherry, Holly, to name a few. Oil or wax finishes can soil the wigs, so Polyurethane was the preferred finish.

The West Virginia Woodturners Association is a community organization of artists and crafts folk dedicated to mentoring new participants and promoting the art of lathe woodturning as an artistic and social activity. We meet weekly at our community workshop in Lewisburg. We also have monthly meetings for special presentations, demonstrations and activities, and are represented at public events, fairs and festivals throughout the year. Anyone interested in learning more about woodturning or joining the group are encouraged to contact Gary DeGraff, club treasurer at 314-640-3863.

Our goal was to give back to our community with this very worthwhile project. Cancer has affected so many of us in one way or another. I am sure we all know someone, or know of someone, who is dealing with cancer. For cancer patients undergoing chemo therapy, hair loss is one of the unfortunate side effects. This is where our wig stand project comes into play. When a cancer patient needs a wig, he or she, will go to the Boutique at the CAMC Cancer Center, select their wig and then will also choose and receive one of our wig stands, absolutely free of charge.

As we were presenting the wig stands to the Boutique at the CAMC Cancer Center, a young lady came into the Boutique to pick up her wig. We were honored to witness her choosing one of our 35 wig stands to accompany her wig. It was so heartwarming to see the joy this small gift brought to her face.