Move over, “I Love NY.” There’s a new iconic community slogan in town, and it’s all about showing love to Lakefield.
“Love Lakefield,” featuring a vibrant red “O” and a rounded square border, can be spotted around the village on tote bags and magnets as part of a fundraiser supporting families in the community.
The new project comes from Lakefield Youth Unlimited, a satellite of Kawartha Youth for Christ that works through strategic partnerships to support youth in Lakefield and surrounding areas in gaining opportunities and reaching their full potential.
The Christian non-profit does this by offering outreach support in local schools, hosting weekly gym nights, and launching programs that develop skills and community.
“We want to support the kids and give them opportunities and spiritual development and to create a safe space where everyone belongs,” says Chris Jones, satellite director of Lakefield Youth Unlimited. “We do that in strategic partnerships and community building and supporting the community outside our own walls.”
That’s why more than 10 years ago, the organization supported a youth named Jared Coppaway as he began selling original versions of the “Love Lakefield” bags at the Lakefield Farmers’ Market throughout the summer. Duncan Freeburn, then a Lakefield Youth Unlimited staff member, designed the logo that Coppaway then ironed on to bags he had sewn.
Jones thought about the “Love Lakefield” logo when a fire destroyed the Kawartha Home Hardware building and its upper-level apartments in downtown Lakefield just before the Thanksgiving long weekend this year.
“It popped into my head because when we designed Love Lakefield, it was because we live in an awesome village where you just love loving the village of Lakefield,” Jones says. “But then from my biblical perspective of just loving God and loving others, it’s also what happens if we love Lakefield, as in if we serve Lakefield.”
When Lakefield Youth Unlimited posted a photo on Facebook of the smoke billowing in downtown Lakefield from their location across the bridge, they included the Love Lakefield logo on top. The photo gained more than 20,000 views on Facebook, a record-breaking number for the organization.
“It hit everybody,” says Jones of the devastating fire, which not only destroyed a historic building that was the location of a popular local business and displaced people living in the apartments above, but affected downtown businesses as Queen Street was closed for two weeks for the demolition of the building.
“Of course, when you love something or somebody, you always go with ‘How can I help?’ and that’s what our community did.”
It was Coppaway’s mother who suggested they bring back the logo and bags, while Heidi Eshikaty, makerspace coordinator at the Selwyn Public Library, supported the project. Using the makerspace, elementary outreach worker Chanté-Alleyne Chagoya designed and produced the totes with the logos.
As if that’s not enough excitement shown from the community already, local artist Asta Johnston then reached out wanting to use her small business to craft handmade wood-burned magnets featuring the “Love Lakefield” logo. One of these magnets is now included with each purchase of a tote bag.
During the Lakefield Youth Unlimited gym night, several youth supported the project by adding price tags to the totes and adding a magnet to each one.
There are more than 100 of the tote bags available for purchase around the village, being sold for $20 each at Happenstance Books and Yarns, IDA Pharmacy, the Selwyn Public Library Makerspace, Stuff Store, The Nutty Bean Cafe, Ecco Art Gallery, and the Lakefield Youth Unlimited barn.
The proceeds from each tote bag purchase will go towards Lakefield Youth Unlimited’s Christmas gift card drive. The annual initiative invites donations of $25 gift cards to stores (other than grocery stores) that offer gifts for youth up to 18 years old, which will be given to families in need.
“We support the schools and the families in our program to make sure the gift cards get distributed to the people in need,” says Jones. “The gift cards are given to parents so they can get the desired and needed gifts for their youth to open up at Christmas time.”
Last year, the organization raised $5,595 in support of 23 households in Lakefield and surrounding areas and, this year, they hope the tote bags will help them raise upwards of $7,000 for families in need.
“When the bag idea came out, we went to talk to some of the business owners and said if we have some gift cards and there are people still affected by the fire, then we would also look at supporting that need as well,” says Jones. “Hopefully with the money that the bags generate, we’ll be able to serve that need.”
Jones adds that the goal is for “Love Lakefield” to resonate beyond the recovery from the fire and beyond the holiday season.
“For me, the whole purpose of it is almost the challenge of a question: what can our village look like when we serve and love each other?” Jones says.
“The bag isn’t the only answer, but it brings the question of ‘If you love Lakefield, then what are we doing to serve and love those in Lakefield?’ That, to me, is the gift — just allowing people the opportunity to love Lakefield.”
