Fort McMurray

I remember it like it was yesterday, yet two years have already passed. A customer from Fort McMurray contacted House of Koopslie with the news that she was being evacuated due to the wildfires. She wanted to let us know that her House of Koopslie order had not yet arrived and asked if we could reroute the package to Edmonton, where she was heading. Sadly we could not, since it was sent regular mail. But, I was so touched by her message and the fact that in the middle of everything she was going through, she was still thinking about the three headbands she had ordered, that I decided to do something about it. I offered to give her three more headbands for free and told her if she ever got the other package, she was welcome to give the headbands to someone else. I didn't think much of this small gesture, but when she arrived to pick up her headbands something unexpected happened. I gave her the headbands and that made her face light up. She was genuinely happy. I was so surprised at how this small act could make a difference that I wanted to do more. I realized that small acts of kindness can put a smile on someone's face even when times are tough, and those fires were tough! Many people were left without a place to stay, without clothing or basic toiletries, and without any idea of what would happen next. Priceless valuables and even family pets were lost. People all over Alberta selflessly opened their homes and hearts to strangers. We listened to the radio to find out what items were needed most and quickly delivered on the call, donating what was needed to help support our neighbours in their time of need. And, in the middle of this all, I wanted to do even more.

I saw that two amazing boutique owners, Laura from Sweet Boutique (Saint Albert, Alberta) and Kristen from K-Lee Boutique (Edmonton and Sherwood Park, Alberta) were helping people from Fort McMurray and I knew I had to be involved. I contacted both store owners and offered to provide a stand with free headbands for all of their Fort McMurray customers. I wanted to put smiles on more faces. Laura and Kristen happily accepted and we quickly got the headbands into all three stores. It felt good to know that we could do something. I am proud to say that we donated over $2500 worth of headbands that week, a small token of love for people so deserving of it. My kids aged six and four at the time even helped. They put all the headbands on packaging, which was not an easy task for little hands. But they knew something serious was happening in our province and they wanted to help. So they too got a chance to do that and in the meantime learned a big lesson that everyone, including kids, can make a difference and put a smile on someone’s face.

I hope those ladies of Fort McMurray are still enjoying their headbands. Their stories will be in my heart forever.