COVER STORY
rafting Christmas miracles Real-life Santas deliver joy to local children
Story and photos by Anthony Welch
S
anta isn’t the only one who grants Christmas wishes. Jim King and Otis Moreland make miracles come true every year for children across El Paso and Teller counties with their handmade wooden toys. The two men have created nearly 5,000 toys through their Colorado Springs-based nonprofit Wheels
of a Dream. Toys are distributed to children who are in hospitals, victims of violence, or going through hard times. “When you see the looks on kids’ faces when they get a toy, you say, ‘Let’s make more toys,’” said King.
A HOBBY WITH PURPOSE King, 75, and Moreland, 85, met a few years ago while driving school
Otis Moreland uses a band saw to carve out the shape of a custom wooden toy. He and Wheels of a Dream co-founder Jim King met at the Academy School District 20 bus garage. buses for Academy School District 20. Both skilled woodworkers, they bonded over their craft and their wooden creations. King retired from a career in custom wood-
working, and Moreland dabbled in it outside of his 50-year career as a pharmacist. “We have both used the same wood supplier, so we could have stood next to each other and never knew it,” said King. In April 2016, they decided to combine their passion with a higher purpose and started Wheels of a Dream. Initially, their goal was to make 5,000 toys by the time the
Above: Moreland and King created school buses to mark the organization’s anniversary. Left: Wheels of a Dream toys include wood burning details.
6 | COVER STORY | DECEMBER 2020 |
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