Meet the craftsman of the goat:
Mike grew up in Chicago, a long way away from any farm fields. After high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, and served his country all over the world. His final tour was at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, in St. Mary's County, Md., where he settled down after active duty. Friends at "Pax River," as it's known locally, introduced him to agriculture St. Mary's style: Chopping tobacco. Back in the day, the crop was ubiquitous in the county. And it was hard and unpleasant labor, something he says gave him lasting respect for farmers and the work they do.
Woodworking was more to his retirement tastes, so he set about building a workshop and over time found his niche in rocking horses. And rocking cows. And rocking dinosaurs. And a rocking goat. And recently, a rocking poodle which won a ribbon at the St. Mary's County Fair. That's where he ran into Susanne Richards, MAEF's executive director, who complimented his work on the poodle-horse and learned that Mike enjoys making these works of art and gifts them to nonprofit organizations to help with fundraising.
"In less than a second I let him know I work for a nonprofit!" Susanne laughs. A few minutes later, Mike had learned about MAEF's programs from K-12 and beyond and agreed to share a horse - ahem, goat - to benefit MAEF's mission.
We appreciate Mike's gift and declare him the Greatest of All Time (GOAT)!
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