Crafting with care: EPHS students build furniture for local transitional housing organization

For Eden Prairie High School 12th graders and Advanced Woodcrafting Capstone students Ethan Cayo, Cole Gilligan, Nathan Little and Nick Toftley, a recent group project meant more than just helping each other get a good grade. It meant giving a little extra and showing a community partner that “we care and want to help out,” Gilligan said.

When their instructor Sheila Stalberger was looking for a special group project for her fall cohort, she connected with Corey Sentieri, program manager at Onward Eden Prairie – an organization that supports young adults who experience housing insecurity in our community. The two hit it off and embarked on a mission to have Advanced Woodcrafting Capstone students create custom furniture for Onward residents.

“There is something so special about being supported by young people who are so close in age to those we serve,” Sentieri said. 

Since 2018, Onward has been helping single adults ages 18-24 who don’t have children transition to more permanent housing. Onward House, the program’s transitional living space, provides up to four residents with private bedrooms, comfortable community space, and resources to help them on the path to secure housing and independence. The program relies on support from community partners like Eden Prairie Schools.

The collaboration between Sentieri and the Advanced Woodcrafting Capstone class started with a meeting at Onward House to discuss the project. 

“The young men were so engaged and asked thoughtful questions. I was so impressed with them!,” Sentieri exclaimed. “The timing was amazing, as several of the residents had shared their desire to collect specific pieces for use upon move out. Sheila and the class asked that I discuss specifics with residents and the process began!”

“We left that meeting feeling very excited about the partnership we just created,” Stalberger said. “Thankfully, Corey is an amazing communicator – because creating custom furniture for customers you never meet can be challenging!”

After the meeting, Stalberger and the four Capstone students created a game plan and got to work. The project included four nightstands, a bookshelf, a vanity, a desk and an end table. Customizations ranged from special engravings, to specific stain colors, to removable legs to make the pieces portable, to ensuring the vanity had enough leg space so its tall recipient could sit comfortably.

“It felt great to be able to make something that fit their needs and requirements more specifically than anything they would be able to find otherwise,” Cayo acknowledged.

It was clear the extra effort was worth it when, after two months of working on the project, the students delivered the final products on Thursday, Nov. 7, and saw the reactions on the faces of Onward staff like Sentieri.

“It felt amazing,” Little said. “It was definitely fulfilling,” Gilligan added. “Corey’s reaction was amazing. She was very thankful. It was a great experience.”

“When they delivered the pieces, you could see the pride they had in the work they’d done,” Sentieri described. “They showed me each piece and talked about the process for making them. It was just so amazing!”

Stalberger loved seeing her students’ hard work pay off by paying it forward. “They just come into the shop and have the best work ethic every day,” she emphasized. “I am just so proud of them!”

The students were glad to have the opportunity to use their passion for woodcrafting to give back to the community in a meaningful way. “We hope that the furniture we made for the residents lasts a long time and helps them have very fulfilling lives,” Toftley said.

Both Sentieri and Stalberger hope to see the partnership continue beyond the fall semester to provide ongoing support to Onward residents. Stalberger already looks forward to her spring Capstone students creating a few more nightstands for Onward, continuing an authentic, hands-on learning experience that makes a real impact.

For now, Sentieri expressed immense gratitude to Stalberger and her students for their work on this project.

“Not only did they demonstrate their impressive skill set, they shared their hearts with us,” Sentieri said. “What they have done for our residents is transformative for their lives and helps improve their quality of life. They will treasure this beautiful furniture for many years.”