Wood turners will gather at Woodcraft stores across the country Nov. 10-11 on Veterans Day weekend for the ninth annual Turn for Troops National turn-a-thon to make one-of-a-kind wood pens for American soldiers.

More than 85,000 pens have been turned since the first telethon was held, including 12,558 in 2011.

Anyone interested in making a special “thank-you” pen for American service personnel on active duty or in rehabilitation facilities in the US is invited to participate. To get involved, contact a Woodcraft store near you. If you have never turned a pen but want to learn, check with the local store about instructions the day of the turn-a-thon or about pen making classes.

“Woodcraft employees and woodturners join together in this annual event to make wood pens as tokens of gratitude for the sacrifices American service personnel have made and are making to keep this nation safe,” company president Jody Garrett said in a statement. “Woodcraft supports this effort by supplying pen kits, and many stores offer instruction in pen turning during the event. Although the Turn for Troops project focuses on the annual turn-a-thon, pen turning occurs before and after that event. So far this year 4,401 pens have been turned — a good start to surpass the 2011 total.”

Turners are encouraged to include a handwritten note with each pen they turn, and responses from recipients of the pens confirm the project’s worth:

For information, visit www.woodcraft.com or call 800-535-4482.