By Tammy Schneider
Three Kincardine women have pooled their talents to foster positivity and raise money for Huron Shores Hospice, the community-funded non-profit group that saw a loss of over $47,000, when its annual Walk for Hospice was cancelled.
Meagan Fair, who founded the #KincardineStrong Facebook page, is an innovation catalyst at NPX Innovations in Kincardine. The company has been credited with creating the Grey Bruce Huron Strong App and gift card site, running free coding classes for kids and also sponsoring a takeout night for local restaurants to offer 25 per cent off orders. Fair and her colleagues had been brainstorming on other ways to help local charities when she came across a post in Saugeen Shores about the custom-made welcome mats and thought the idea would work in Kincardine as well.
She contacted Nicole Ireland, owner of Stilara, knowing the shop promotes do-it-yourself crafting kits. Ireland found a source for the mats, and then brought Jaye Boyer, owner of Harbour Rose Boutique, on board to create the vinyl wording and the piper image for the mat. Ireland will apply the vinyl and chalk paint to complete the mat.
“I thought it would be a great way to bring the community together and support a great local cause,” said Ireland of why she is part of the project.
The mats are available by contacting Ireland on the Stilara Facebook page, or by calling 519-396-5688.
Each mat is $60, of which $15 will be donated to Huron Shores Hospice. Since first advertised on May 10, at least 25 orders have been taken, with more expected. Fair sits on the fundraising committee for the hospice, and Ireland agreed the hospice was a good choice to support.
“It was a good feeling to be able to generate some income for a local business while also giving back to such an important organization in our community,” said Fair. “It’s also such a nice reminder of how we came together as a community in a time of crisis globally and supported each other.”