For the past 15 years, the youth group at Iona Presbyterian Church has been holding a very sweet Valentine’s Day fundraiser called Sweetheart Surprise.
Youth group leader Kevin Jack tells us how this project spreads a little love at this time of year.
What is Iona’s “Sweetheart Surprise”?
The Sweetheart Surprise is a dozen cookies (of different varieties) with a mini carnation delivered to the door of a person of your choice in the Dartmouth, Eastern Passage and Cole Harbour area. The cost of each Sweetheart Surprise is $6.
Who takes part?
Each of our youth group families are asked to bake 12 dozen cookies, and the members of our church generously donate cookies as well as deliver orders for us. Without trying too hard on the promotion side of things we generally deliver between 110 and 140 orders each year on Valentine’s Day.
What’s your role in it?
As youth group leaders, my wife and IÂ are responsible for making the tags, buying the flowers, and the packaging, organizing the delivery lists, hosting the packing party and delivering our share of the orders.
What do you love about it as a fundraiser?
I love it because it is fun to surprise folks, especially shut-ins, with a flower and plate of delicious home-baked cookies. I love it because it brightens the day of the person receiving and brings even more joy to the person ordering it. I love it because it is an affordable, much-sought-after product that has a good return on investment.