“There are many things that I cannot do.  There are many things that I do not know.

But, there is one thing that I can do.  I can serve another.  And, I’m so grateful that I can serve some of His little ones.

I don’t need any praise, notoriety, or pay because the satisfaction, blessings and feelings that I receive are so great that I need nothing else”.

Charles T. Cooley, Founder Happy Factory

1930-2011

Charles T. Cooley Starfish Award

Presented at 2011 Gala

to

Sue Arnold-Turley

Sue Arnold-Turley owner and operator of The Print Shoppe, Cedar City, UT, has been named recipient of the 2011 Charles T. Cooley Starfish Award.

The Starfish Award is given annually to businesses or or volunteers who go to great lengths to support the Happy Factory in the making of small toy cars for kids all over the world.  The name of the award was changed this year to honor the passing of co-founder, Charles T. Cooley.

Sue Arnold-Turley was born in Los Angeles, Calif. Her parents, Jake and Mattie Romero, gave her a wonderful normal childhood.  She has three great sisters, a half-sister and brother who somehow survived growing up with all these females around him.

Arnold-Turley wrote, "Because my parents grew up during the Great Depression, and lived through World War II, they instilled qualities and beliefs in me that I live by to this day.  I know how to save a buck, tighten up the belt when times tough, turn off the lights when I leave the room (yes, Dad) and most of all, try to live by the Golden rule. 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.

"It works for me and I believe that is why I am being honored with this year's Starfish Award by the wonderful co-founder,  Donna Cooley, and the giving volunteers from The Happy Factory," she added.

Welcome to the Official Website for the HAPPY FACTORY.

Thanks for visiting, please enjoy browsing our site !

Please note:  We have updated our website and we now accept Paypal and Credit Card Donations. !

At a cost of $.50 cents to make each toy, for just a small donation, you can make a difference in a child's life making it possible for them to receive a hand-crafted wooden toy, made with loving care by our volunteers.

The Happy Factory is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose sole mission is to give the children of the world a small high quality wooden toy, so every child has at least one toy.  We are made up of volunteers, have no payroll, and none of the Board of Directors are paid, so 100% of every dollar is used in the production of our toys.

For more Information, Please Contact us at

435-586-8352

The Happy Factory Story

When Charles and Donna Cooley retired from Southern Utah University in 1995, they began producing and giving away small animal cut-outs.  Children found them so appealing that they began regular deliveries 250 miles north to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City and soon, says Charles, "We got more hugs there than we did at a family reunion."

A free pickup truck load of hardwood strips inspired Charles to design and make small cars and trucks, painted by Donna, which were warmly welcomed in Salt Lake City as well at Shriner's Hospital and the Humanitarian Center, a charitable arm of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) where the Cooley's learned there were 500 million children in the world without toys.

"We couldn't make a drop in the bucket for a need like that, " said Charles. But he was told "One toy may be only a drop in the bucket of the world's needs, but it's a big drop for the child who gets it."  That changed the Cooley's hobby into a full-time labor of love and inspired a motto:  "We may not be able to make a toy for every child in the world who needs one, but we're going to try."

While cutting out more cars and trucks on a chilly morning in November 1996, Charles was inspired by the smiling faces of children who got their toys and their operation had a name, The Happy Factory.

Soon volunteer helpers signed on, production increased and Happy Factory toys began winning smiles from thousands more needy children all over the world and in the US, in hospitals, Family shelters,churches, schools, Native American Organizations, Foundations, Medical Clinics, Crisis Centers, Head Start branches,orphanages, and from the often forgotten young victims of natural disasters. Many individuals have even hand-carried toys to places all around the world.

When toy steam shovels on which a child can sit and manipulate the bucket were added to production, seriously disabled children were stimulated to do all sorts of things previously thought to be beyond their capability.  So far, over 2,269 have been delivered to children all over the world, and in many cases and places "steam shovel therapy" is the only kind available.

The impact of steam shovels and simple little toys on children who never had one has frequently been startling, as if a light had suddenly turned on in darkened little heads.  To their delight, the Cooley's discovered their toys were often tools that helped rejuvenate minds.

To date, over One Million, Seventy-One Thousand Happy Factory toys have been given to more than 600 different organizations, groups and people in 180 countries. No Happy Factory worker makes a dime and the gifting is still gathering momentum.

With apologies to Sir Winston Churchill, Charles says "This isn't the end.  This isn't even the beginning of the end.  This is only the end of the beginning."

Thank you for considering The Happy Factory as a beneficiary of your time, effort and hard-earned money. You may also wish to volunteer to work at the Happy Factory, located in beautiful Cedar City, UT.

You can make a child’s life brighter in many ways.

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Open the Happy Factory Slide Show. (10mb download...patience will be rewarded.)