Step into Global Water’s conference room on Monday mornings and you’ll be met with the soft murmur of conversation, the rhythmic clinking of knitting needles and the gentle snip of scissors gliding through paper.

For just over a month, the tight-knit group of about a dozen senior women has been meeting not only keep their hands busy but also find a sense of community in a fast-growing city. 

This is Maricopa Golden Crafters, the brainchild of 86-year-old Helen Brown.  

It’s not Brown’s first time launching a crafting group. She started her first in 2011 for the same reason: to bring people together. And she says crafting is the perfect way to learn something new.

“If anyone has a craft they want to learn, someone in the group can teach them,” Brown said. 

And there’s no shortage of talent. The women crochet gloves, make custom jewelry, sew blankets for those in need and more. Most of their creations are donated to shelters, hospitals, hospice centers and similar organizations.

Golden Crafter Carol Kasdorf, who lives in Acacia Crossings, takes the lead in showing others how to create handmade greeting cards. She joined shortly after Brown’s first group started and said that while she enjoys the crafts, it’s the camaraderie that keeps her coming back.

“Everybody loves each other. When someone struggles, we talk about how to help her out. And we share our knowledge,” Kasdorf said.  

The same went for Lillian Loen, who lives in the Villages at Rancho El Dorado.  

She joined in 2015 and brings her talents in needlework and crafts to the group. What she values most is the “creative sisterhood” that blossoms from their time together.

“We craft stuff because we can’t not do stuff,” Loen said, “and it’s just fun to share. It doesn’t take very long before we start sharing our life.”