Amid the sun-swept streets of the St. Albert Farmers' Market, there is another light source, glowing proudly from a tiny booth.
Amid the sun-swept streets of the St. Albert Farmers' Market, there is another light source, glowing proudly from a tiny booth.
Built from dark, rich woods, flat brass sockets and amber Edison light bulbs, This Little Light sells handmade lamps underneath a black pop-up tent. And while the lamps might not be as bright as the city's mid-summer sunshine, they certainly radiate a powerful message, as This Little Light donates the net profits from the sale of their lamps to community reintegration programs for recent parolees.
“I wanted something with a story that people can connect to,” explains Mark Power, who started the company alongside his wife a little over a year ago. “This Little Light the song is really about not being ashamed of who you are and I thought a lamp was really a good symbol for hope and finding hope in a dark place, in an unlikely place.”
Mark had been volunteering at the Mustard Seed Church, building relationships with individuals who were struggling to find employment after being released from prison. He would labour alongside them on work projects, such as stocking shelves or renovating not-for-profits, and he'd notice a positive change.
“I wanted to create an opportunity for them to create,” he says. Casting around for an idea for a social enterprise that would also serve as a ‘first job' for those striving to reintegrate, you could say, a light bulb turned on in his head.
“What I've learned is that a lot of the time, if [the parolees] are willing to share their stories with people, their story can be a lighthouse for somebody else about to hit the rocks,” he explains. “In a small way, I'm encouraging them to shine a little bit.”
Inspired by the symbolism of the lamp, he constructed prototypes with a steampunk aesthetic around March of last year. Since many of the men he works with are in the trades, Mark gives them the credit for refining his initial designs and This Little Light had sold their first lamp by November 2015.
“We hear about how certain people are coming out,” starts Dawna-Lynne Power, Mark's wife and partner in philanthropy. “I think that's the time they are most vulnerable and when they can make a choice to take a better path, a different path than they've known before. I think that This Little Light is a big supporter of holding people up at that really vulnerable time.”
Dawna-Lynne is now well versed in piping pieces and lighting fixture jargon, as she too works alongside offenders in the process of creating the lamps. Though fully supportive of the project, she's quick to joke that when her husband gets an idea, she “braces herself,” particularly for this endeavour.
“There was a time when I was thinking, ‘I'm making dinner with someone who committed a really horrible crime, with our beautiful 10-year-old daughter,'” she shares. “And I kind of thought, ‘Is this safe? Are we okay?' Of course I trust Mark implicitly on his judgment. But, honestly, it took some time to kind of check-in with my own assumptions, especially being a parent.”
And while the Powers braced themselves for the potential of some negative feedback, they've found overwhelming support amongst the community. Support ranges from discounts from suppliers to receiving a donated warehouse space to a warm reception from the organizers of the St. Albert Farmers' Market.
“I think part of this, for me, is starting a dialogue about forgiveness, about second chances,” says Mark, reflecting on the true aspirations of This Little Light. “Because I think it's easy for people to say, ‘Yeah, they're in prison for a reason.' But I'll tell ya, half that reason is because people were kicked around, abused and neglected as young people. What I'm saying is, people might be more interested in a restorative process [after] hearing the back-story on the offender. Maybe it can open up an unlikely relationship, maybe it can create a conversation about forgiveness.”
So feel free to stop in and ask a few questions when you pass by their luminous stall. Though the company only sets up shop once every two weeks, the St. Albert Farmers' Market is the only market where they currently sell their wares.
“It's enriched our lives,” finishes Dawna-Lynne, thinking back over the last year. “And our daughter's life. Without question.”
