(NAPSI)—America has a long history of volunteerism, and for 20 years one company has encouraged such efforts with the Community Craftsman Award. It has given grants for such projects as an afterschool wood-finishing jobs-training program and a guild program to design, build and finish beds for children with special needs. Renamed the Minwax Do Good With Wood Award, it recognizes the ways people express themselves working with wood. It’s open to anyone who’s been involved in a wood-finishing project, through school wood-shop classes, clubs, guilds, parent organizations, DIY groups, craft or hobby groups or on their own. The Grand Prize is $5,000 plus a workshop with wood-finishing expert Bruce Johnson and product valued at $1,000. Second Prize is $2,000 and Minwax products. Through the end of the year, one entry will be randomly picked each month to get two gallons of Minwax Wood Finish interior wood stain and two gallons of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane. The winners get fame as well as fortune. Some projects will be featured on the Do Good With Wood Hall of Fame on the company’s Facebook page, to inspire others. Send a description of how you helped your community through wood finishing, plus a photo of your project, to Minwax Do Good With Wood Award, c/o Brushfire, Inc., 2 Wing Drive, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. For more information or to enter online, visit www.minwax.com. Deadline is December 31, 2012.   On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)

Using woodworking to help others could let you help yourself to thousands in prizes. (NAPS)