A Calgary dance studio is asking its students to redirect their creativity to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kinder Studios closed for in-person classes on Nov. 12 and, to make the best of a bad situation, the studio decided to encourage its students to create hand-made Christmas cards for seniors in the community.
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“They’re loving it, you know, it gives them something fun to do. Parents are also enjoying it because they’re spending one-on-one time with their kids,” Liz Hamzeh, owner of Kinder Studios, said.
Since launching the initiative on Nov. 13, Hamzeh said other businesses like yoga studios and gyms have joined in.
She also received a call from a local school..
‘“I got a mind-blowing email from a teacher yesterday actually who just let me know her entire school will be sending cards. So she pledged 200 cards from the school alone.”
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Hamzeh says her initial goal was to donate about 150 cards, now her goal is to surpass 500.
Kinder Studios has began hosting online classes — which Hamzeh says is challenging for children under the age of 10. However, she says initiatives like this keep families busy and focused on helping the community in a creative way.
“There is a positive in all of this. COVID is terrible, it’s affected businesses, it’s affected families, yes, but it’s brought together the community in lots of ways which you would never have thought it would.”
The studio is accepting cards until Dec. 4 via mail to their studio at 2231 Longridge Dr. SW, Calgary, AB T3D 5N5. Cards can also be dropped off in person.
The cards will then be in quarantine for two weeks, before being delivered to seniors centres in Calgary.