Wanting to have ties to his grandparents who he could not visit in the midst of the pandemic, Lucas, 9, started making matching bracelets for each of them, which led to his own business and charity ventures.
He learned how to make bracelets on his own which developed into a hobby for Lucas. Even though him and his grandparents were a province apart, the bracelets kept them close during the difficult time, said Monica Hernandez, Lucas’ mother.
“When they look at the bracelet, they will think of him and when he looks at the bracelet he thinks of them,” she added.
The handmade bracelets became popular among Lucas’ friends and soon many of his classmates were walking around with his bracelets wrapped around their wrists.
All of the people who wanted to wear his creation sparked the imaginativeness in Lucas and he began making different bracelets for every person in his life. He comes up with the designs himself and customizes them to fit the style of each person uniquely, Hernandez said.
From observing his parents involvement in business, Lucas realized that he could sell the bracelets that he was making.
Another passion of the family’s is giving back to the community, so Lucas wanted to give part of the profits he earned from bracelet sales to various charities, including Terry Fox Foundation and Heart and Stroke Foundation.
One day, Lucas was at his friend’s home on a play-date when news broke about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Lucas’ friend and his family were extremely affected by the news, as they are Ukrainian, Hernandez said.
“They were in such an emotional state which was really hard to witness because they had relatives there who were trying to escape. Lucas had never seen something like that so he said ‘We have to do something’ so we did,” she added.
Braccialetto gives a portion of its proceeds to Maple Hope Foundation, which is a Canadian organization that raises funds for Ukraine support.
Lucas is also a student at Morgan Heights Kumon Centre where a stand selling his bracelets can be found. One of his teachers at Kumon, Juliet Andrada loved the initiative to raise money for Maple Hope Foundation and decided to get involved herself.
Andrada will match every dollar that Lucas’ business raises for the charity.
His bracelets can be purchased at a kiosk in Semiahmoo Shopping Centre located at 1701 152 St. in Surrey from May 30 to June 6. He also has a stand in the store Pearl & Clover that can be found in the mall.
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