Grade 1 students at Brockville’s Toniata Public School create greeting card company

The first grade students of the Toniata Public School in Brockville are taking on a heart-warming initiative this holiday season.

The students will be making holiday greeting cards for the residents of the Bridlewood Manor retirement residence in Brockville. They have made over 70 cards so far, and their teacher says they have no plans of stopping anytime soon.

After the holidays, the kids want to keep going. They have even set up a partnership with the Senior Support Services of the Brockville Community and Primary Health Care (CPHC) in order to make Valentine's Day Cards for the local seniors in February.

A great initiative to be sure, but it's much more than that.

“We started with Halloween cards, and they did so well,” Sherry Leeder, their teacher, said. “So, I asked my students if they wanted to make a company out of it, they were on board; hook, line and sinker.”

Led by Leeder, the students created Kids Wonder of Fun. From top to bottom, the students decided on every part of their business. They held a competition among themselves to decide the company logo: a green cat inspired by the school mascot, the Toniata Tiger. They created a business plan and brought it to the school's principal Rich Tamblyn, who said there was no way he'd say no to such a creative endeavour.

“From the very beginning they wanted it to be a non-profit,” Leeder said. ” The students decided that all the money they raise would go to local charities like the food bank and animal shelter.”

They even Found investors, like the CPHC, and voted on an executive team. At the helm is CEO Quinn Sheffield, president Gracie O'Neil, COO Clark Casselman and IT Guy Isaac Guerin.

“We are only five- and six-year-olds and we are already running a business,” Sheffield said. “The point of running this business is to make people happy. 

The class has regular business meetings to discuss their next card creations, and have even formed a Creative Consulting Team, which decides the card themes and colours. 

Leeder says, for now, with COVID-19 restrictions, the students are doing the best they can, and are creating a lot of greeting cards, but not raising any money.

One thing they are doing though, is “spreading their contagious joy in the community.”