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25 | T h u rs d a y , D e c e m b e r 1 , 2 0 1 6 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | w w w .in s id e H A L T O N .c o m Handmade holiday cards support humane society by Julia Le O akville Beaver Sta ff An Oakville mom and her two daughters are using their creative talents to support the Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS). Shelley Lewis and her daughters, Lilly Coulter, 10, and Scarlett Coulter, 8, have created 12 unique Christmas cards featuring embroidered drawings of animals that may find themselves in the care of an animal shelter. The handmade cards are being sold at OMHS, 445 Cornwall Rd., and local Christmas craft sales. They were also sold at Film.Ca Theatres on Tuesday (Nov. 29). Each card costs $5 or $ 4 0 for the full set with proceeds supporting the OMHS and the work it does. Lewis, a life-long seamstress and a costume designer for film and television, says the seed for the Christmas project was planted in September, after her girls had participated in summer camp at OMHS. They tossed around a few ideas about how they could give back to the community and decided to combine their passion for animals and art to help OMHS and the work it does to care for animals in need. "Even though we don't have the financial resources, we can still give ourselves to help a cause," said Lewis, a single parent. She wants to instill in her daughters even though you may not have the financial means, you can give by using your talent and time to help others. "A little hard work can go a long way" she said. "You're never too young to make a difference and this is a great season to start." Lilly and Scarlett have drawn six animals, each over the last few months, and are excited about their first charitable project. "It' s been really fun and cool to have this experience," said Lilly, who set her personal goal of raising $500. She says her favourite drawing is of a guinea pig she named Pumpkin, which is inspired by Harry and Ron, two guinea pigs she met at OMHS. Scarlett, who has a fundraising goal of $200, but then raised it to $500 since she already met the initial goal, says her favourite drawing is of two skunks underneath a mistletoe. She named them Jenny and Flora. The sisters, who both attend Forest Trail Public School, spent hours perfecting each of their creations. They also think it' s pretty cool their mother has made replicas of their drawing. After their mother was done, the girls helped attach it to cardstock. Lewis, who was hired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this past Halloween to create the costumes of aviator and The Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupery' s novella The Little Prince , said she' s amazed at how this project has sparked a passion in them and given them purpose. She said she tries to give her daughters as many creative outlets as she can. "I try to expose them to a lot of different things, some of it they take to and some of it they don't, but they've found their own way over the years," said Lewis, noting Lilly likes sculpting and photography while Scarlett loves to draw and paint. Lewis is hopeful getting into the spirit of giving at Christmas will motivate them to continue. "I hope it inspires them to keep giving and giving back and making a difference," she said. OMHS Fund Development Manager Lisa Ashby said the girls' efforts will go a long way to helping the animals in OMHS' care. "We do not receive funding from the government to rescue, care for or find homes for the animals," she said. "Instead, we rely on donations and this fundraiser will have a significant impact in raising awareness about and funds for the animals." She added how touched she has been by the family' s unique efforts to fundraise for OMHS. "W hat they are doing together with their mother is so meaningful," said Ashby, who visited the family one night before a craft sale they were going to attend. W hat she saw was a living room transformed into an assembly line of "love to help homeless animals." "The girls have put a great deal of time, energy and love into making their pictures perfect," she said, noting each of them made several drafts of the animals before they were embroidered by White. The handmade holiday Christmas cards can also be purchased in OMHS' online auction at omhs.ca/online-holiday-auction. THIRTY 750s YOUR WI NE M A K ING E S T A B L I S H M E N T Experience premium w inem aking at the best prices. 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