Thinking of you gift is a unique social enterprise designed with the loving intent to create meaningful employment and positive life opportunities for Freya, a young woman with different abilities. It’s the brain child of Donna Toussaint, Freya’s Mum.
Donna is an Artist who approaches her whole life with a creative filter. “Once you have something in terms of competencies, you explore it. I can see that with Freya too” she says.
Throughout her career, Donna has worked as an Artist, Florist and Community Development Worker. In 2010 she began a journey to develop her business skills and undertook a course. Freya was 13 years old then. Donna realised that for Freya to have a full life it was up to her to create opportunities. She was intent on ensuring that her daughter find a meaningful role in her life that fulfilled and expanded her.
After hitting rock bottom and attending a compassion fatigue workshop, Donna began seriously thinking about what she could do for Freya post school. She’d always known that it was going to be difficult for Freya to find her place in the workforce and society after graduation. In visualising the type of opportunity that would enrich Freya’s life, she looked to her own strengths as well as Freya’s.
“At the time, I was selling helium balloons at the Florist. I though about selling the helium balloons at the Hospital in a little stall. I then found out helium is used for MRI scans and it’s a natural resource that we’re running out of. Ethically I couldn’t do that. I wanted an ethical business that honoured my own values around shopping and gift giving. I Iooked into fair trade and sustainable gifts and paper balloons.”
As an Artist, Donna considered approaching the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital for an art piece in their space. She then spoke with the hospital’s Art Curator. “Then we spoke with the CEO of the hospital and had a conversation about how people with disabilities can’t find work and she already understood that due to her own family experience. From the understanding of a dedicated group of people who stood with me in this endeavour and this one person who understood, we conceptualised then began the social enterprise venture that is now Thinking of You Gift situated in the Lady Cilento Queensland Children’s Hospital.”
Now Freya and Donna sell paper balloons as an alternative to helium, fair trade toys, jewellery and special gifts. Freya also screen prints her own special hand sewn bunting. Donna notes that most people are surprised and happy with an alternative to helium balloons and like to engage with fair trade. “We’re educating people about employment for people who are different as well as where gifts are coming from. Quality gifts that have been sourced from international, national, or local hand-made providers and ethical trade.”
Donna reminisces that before Freya was born, she and her husband Chris knew her life would be filled with challenges. “From an early age she became familiar with a variety of health professionals assisting her with the very basics: walking, talking, eating. The intervention was constant.” Adding to these challenges, at 10 years of age Freya was diagnosed with bronchiectasis – a respiratory illness that means she’s admitted to hospital every three months for airway maintenance.
Despite the many issues Freya and her family face, Thinking of You Gift has seen Freya flourish: “Her communication and language have developed and improved far beyond expectations since she began working at the shop as business partner and retail assistant. The extraordinary outcomes don’t end there. Freya catches the bus to work, counts the float before opening the store, meets and greets customers, and delights in delivering gifts to patients’ bedsides.”
As well as these tasks and creating her beautiful handmade bunting, Freya is busy serving customers, making trips to the warehouse to pick up products, and pricing the stock. What started as a hope filled idea is now a creative, ethical business partnership that offers meaningful activity whilst enhancing Freya’s holistic wellbeing.
Freya won the 2017 Access Arts Award to establish an art collective. Freya is one of a collective of 4 young Artists involved in The Ripple Effect Project. The group spent nine months exploring art activities with the intention of producing a greeting card range – Can Can Cards. The 4 young emerging Artists worked on their own art paired with an Artist mentor/support person in collaboration with those skilled in marketing and public relations who could promote their work and their successes.
“We sold the art work at our recent exhibition and now sell the printed cards at Thinking of You Gift. We have Christmas packs, birthday packs and individual cards. We’re looking to explore marketing the cards on a broader scale. Next year each one of the 4 Artists will have a micro business. They’re supported by their families and others” delighted Donna. A small exhibition is on display at the Community Gallery on level 2 of the Lady Cilento Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Donna is now looking at how NDIS funding may assist Freya’s Art production as part of her employment suite. Every day Donna is seeing Freya become more independent and confident. The gift that arose from her gift to her daughter.
Thinking of You Gift was a proud prize donor at Wednesday’s PeakCare fundraiser for the Allison Baden- Clay Foundation. Freya donated a beautiful handmade bunting, proudly won by our Executive Director, Lindsay Wegener.
To support Freya, visit Thinking of You Gift at their Lady Cilento Queensland Children’s Hospital Kiosk or shop online.