Sales of colouring book funds holiday event for P.E.I. moms
CBC
Sales of an Island-inspired colouring book helped some P.E.I. moms give their kids an early start to the holidays on Saturday.
At Off The Wallz in Stratford, kids were able to play, meet Santa and receive gifts while mothers had the opportunity to connect with each other.
It marked one of the first events hosted by the new non-profit organization, Island Bloom, which aims to help newcomer women in entrepreneurship, public speaking and other life skills.
The event was held in partnership with the Island Pregnancy Centre.
It was largely funded by the sales of a colouring book, illustrated by Island Bloom’s fundraising manager, Junko Suzuki, who also runs the self-publishing service, The Book Doula.
The book contains colourable pictures of places around the Island, such as French River and Green Gables. About 100 copies were sold.
Suzuki said she got the idea from Karolina Khryplyvets, one of the founders of Island Bloom.
"When the idea came from Karolina about creating a colouring book, I agreed right away," she said.
The opportunity for a free day meant a lot to Charlottetown mom, Kathleen MacInnis. She says it was a special day for her family.
"It's good to bond with new moms, especially when you feel all cooped up inside and like you just want to get out," MacInnis said.
Island Bloom’s vice-president, Daria Sur, said she is originally from Ukraine and relocated to P.E.I. due to the ongoing war.
She received a lot of support from Islanders during that time, and she wanted to give back.
"It was exciting for me to see everyone here," Sur said. "You can see the smiles on the faces of people."
She said the organization hopes to plan another event in the new year that will likely be education focused.
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