Stuffed animals to help build One Kids Place

Scott Clark co-chair of the One Kids Place capital campaign shows off Grace the stuffed animal he made Saturday at Fait Avec Amour. A dollar from the sale of Grace (and every stuffed animal sold) goes to the OKP capital campaign.

Fait Avec Amour has barely opened their doors and they are already pledging to help out local kids.

The new business, which sells make your own stuffed animals is located in the Northgate Shopping Centre, held a grand opening celebration Saturday confirming that they will make a $10,000 donation to One Kids Place (OKP) capital fund raising campaign.

“North Bay is a small community and the best way to open up and come into the community was to make a pledge to the most needed building right now and the One Kids Place building is a much needed building as we all know,” says Lesanthan Joseph owner of Fait Avec Amour which in English means ‘made with love’.

“And the way I came up with this was I was willing to donate a dollar from each teddy bear that’s made in store to support the cause and also the community with that.”

Dr. Joseph Madden co-chair of the OKP capital campaign says the donation means that the family of Fait Avec Amour have felt that helping the children the district is very important and the folks at OKP really appreciate that a brand new business would have such faith to make such a pledge.

“The are starting a new venture here, a new store and they have such hope and potential for them that they wish to (for their store) share that with our children and they are going to do that for every one (stuffed animal) sold a dollar will come to One Kids Place to $10,000.”

“For a young couple starting on their adventure with their store their place to have such faith in these times we thank them sincerely on behalf of the children that we serve and hope to serve at One Kids Place. It’s a wonderful expression of hope for these children that we serve,” adds Madden.

Scott Clark co-chair of the OKP capital campaign agrees with Madden noting that with each and every donation they receive the new centre gets closer to reality.
“Every donation that’s received and there has been a number of them over the last year and a half, is one step closer to completing One Kids Place.”

“And we hope by springtime that we are cutting the ribbon and then off we go and these stuffed little bears are going to help us get there with a dollar from every bear going to One Kids Place so we are very excited about that a $10,000 donation to One Kids Place we just can’t say enough about them.”

"One Kids Place serves children who have communication, developmental and physical disabilities."