3D Printed Toy Drive for the Halo Keepers

With Christmas right around the corner, it is an excellent opportunity to give back to those who need it most. As such, I am pleased to announce the first official Let’s Print 3D charity drive, made possible by the amazing people at the Halo Keepers organization.

Based in Jacksonville (FL) this group of selfless individuals work year round, creating wigs, hats and beanies from soft yarn for pediatric cancer patients. In addition, The Halo Keepers also organize countless events, including the annual Princess and Superhero Ball during the spring and arrange meet and greets each month, where volunteers dress in costume to visit the children. These young kids are so brave and full of life, where they continue to smile despite the difficult circumstances they face.

When they reached out to me several months ago to discuss the possibly of printing an Iron Man costume, I was absolutely floored by their organization’s sheer generosity. Motivated by their cause and inspired to help as much as possible, I am hopeful the 3D Printing community can come together and provide all sorts of fun items for the holidays.

How to Participate

We as Makers have the incredible ability to create nearly anything imaginable! With thousands of designs readily available, many of us already have shelves full of toys, trinkets and figurines. I would like to encourage those in the community to consider picking at least one design, print it out and donate it to the Halo Keepers (or a similar organization near you) to give to sick children this Christmas.

These kids face an ongoing and unimaginable struggle, yet they want nothing more than to be a beautiful princess or an awesome superhero. We can’t change much but we can certainly provide a distraction, helping them to replace the somber realities of life with exciting fantasy and fiction. With the fantastic power to create everything from wands and tiaras to race cars and masks, you can make their world a lot brighter with a bit of time and plastic.

The Halo Keepers have setup a Post Office box that is checked daily and welcome absolutely any donations. Charitable contributions are considered tax deductible and they have offered to provide receipts for those interested.

Print Suggestions

You are welcome to create anything you would like to send, however we can help to take some of the guess work out of the process. If you are looking for ideas, you can find a list of potential prints here, where I have also invited Halo Keepers to make suggestions as well. If there is a design you would like to see added, feel free to leave a comment below.

Elsa’s Tiara from Frozen
The Elder Wand from Harry Potter
Light Saber Mini
Wonder Woman’s Tiara
Thor’s Ragnarok Helmet
Linkings
Articulated Octopus
Fingerboard

Other Donation Ideas

If you are inspired to help their cause but don’t have a 3D Printer, there are still plenty of ways you can contribute. Halo Keepers goes through yarn the way we go through plastic, where each wig is intricately crafted from a variety of colors. Since these are not only given out locally but shipped all over the world, the material costs and shipping fees are quite excessive. With each wig costing between 20-30$ to make and delivered anywhere in the world, you can donate to their funds via Crochet For a Cause.

Otherwise, feel free to be creative and send something of your choice. If you would like to donate a gift for the children, stuffed animals, toys and similar items are great. If you would prefer to help Halo Keepers with their mission, you can send yarn to help with the wigs or even adult items that the volunteers can wear during their visits.