EUSTIS, Fla. – Christmas is over, the ornaments have been taken down and put away, but the trees can enjoy a new life as a cane for a veteran at Oscar De Vere Morris’ workshop in Eustis.
Morris, 58, is once again collecting Christmas trees for his project “Free Canes for Veterans.” People getting rid of their Christmas trees can drop them off at 2641 Bates Ave. in Eustis.
“Christmas trees work pretty well because it’s very light and it’s very strong,” Morris said. “And a lot of times they have a lot of color in the wood after a while so it gives a nice little difference in color.”
Morris, a Navy veteran, found working with wood helped him after his time in the service. On a whim, he made a cane and gave it away.
When we interviewed Morris for the Getting Results Award in 2016, he had a goal of making 500 canes for veterans. He said he’s now made 1,051 free canes for veterans across the country.
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It takes about two weeks to make a cane, and Morris personalizes it with military emblems, logos and leather.
“Basically, it tells that veteran’s past and it’s good therapy for these veterans because a lot of them don’t talk about their past,” Morris said. “But this has been an eye-opener for conversations for them.”
Morris said he has used wood like cedar, crepe myrtle and maple, but he started working with Christmas trees after a donation from a local Lowe’s.
“I was running out of wood, and I had a friend that worked at Lowe’s,” Morris said. “And she contacted me and said they had a bunch of Christmas trees they couldn’t sell. And she asked, ‘Could you make a cane out of that?’ And I lied and I said yes I can.”
These days, Morris only makes canes for people who can pick them up at his Eustis workshop. He works a full-time job on top of the project, and he doesn’t want anyone to get discouraged. At one time he had a backlog of 500 people waiting for canes.
“We want to make sure that everybody that is lucky enough to get onto the list, they get a wonderful cane,” Morris said.
His work has also inspired others to make canes from Christmas trees for veterans across the country.
Meanwhile, Morris is still taking in trees at the Bates Avenue address. He said shorter trees are easier to work with – 5 to 6-foot trees. Taller trees have a large trunk that is tough to work with. He said to just throw them over the fence.
Morris posts updates on his Facebook page. You can also contact him there.
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