In Vermont, 17-year-old Michael Jolley is passionate about woodworking ... and firefighting. He’s been on the front lines as a volunteer firefighter and realizes how important funding can be when a fire department is trying to purchase important gear.
A lot of people don’t know that fire gear costs anywhere between $2,500 to $3,000 just to outfit one firefighter.
Michael spent the summer thinking about how he could help raise money for these small departments, and decided to use his woodworking background and local connections to make a difference.
All alone in his workshop, he hand-builds these flags. He burns the wood and then stains it. He then hand-dremels all 50 of the star. Once he’s finished, he sells the flags online for $130 a pop. The profit then goes to area fire departments – usually small volunteer departments.
You can check out his work on Facebook below and on his Flags For Frontlines website.
Michael plans to continue his efforts, knowing that his passion for woodworking is helping firefighters on the front lines, which affects many people in his community.
Photo: Getty Images