AHKE

The Courage To Come Back Awards Gala is Coast Mental Health's premier annual fundraising event. This major gathering celebrates inspiring British Columbians who have triumphed over adversity across categories like mental health, addiction, and medical challenges.
READ MORE HERE https://couragetocomeback.ca/

If you know me, you know I have worked with people with mental health issues in a group home setting and loved what I did. I have also learned to live with mine as well.
More than 7.5 million Canadians deal with mental health issues every year.

I have learned how to manage and educate myself, learned how to grow, have dreams and make plans to make them happen.
This gala and my growth are a full circle of my life, experience, education and now as a small business owner. Ahke was introduced as a culmination of all these aspects of my life and is introduced to give back, give supports and offer assistance of food, clothing, childrens sports, books and school supplies, christmas / holiday hampers, help for new moms with new borns leaving the hospital with baby hampers. I want to do that through community involvement and activities.

This gala is supporting healthcare, community, individual growth and those who work behind the scenes to make it all possible.

What does it cost to make 1600 bars of soap ?
So far, the cost has been close to $2000 for oils, packaging and included expenses.

Oils and Lye : just over $1300 + $192 shipping costs
Water : $60
Olive oil : just over $600
Packaging and extra molds : $110
Final shipping : around $400

Coastal Mental Health teamed up with Employ To Empower for their fundraiser this year. The event is a major event and raises funds for many types of engagement, health and social needs and celebrates those behind the scenes that bring these services to you and raises awareness of the ongoing need for these services.

AHKE was chosen as a gift provider through Employ To Empower for over 1400 guests and counting including community leaders, advocates, and supporters ! I am very proud and honored to supply these items for the gala.

Congratulations to all, thank you for your efforts, time and involvement. Thank you for allowing myself and AHKE to be a part of such a wonderful event.

Going to need lots of this and lots of that.....and lots of that.....and lots of that

AHKE has been invited to share a wonderful night in Vancouver. This event is a major one and celebrates life, health, community and the people that provide these services to you.
I am very proud to be part of this.
Watch for video and post updates, I will be documenting the process, daily bar count and hopeful to get some community input with those who are supporting and are part of this gala.

I had the opportunity to share my story and my business start up story for my entrepreneur peer group Thursday night. This is always a great time to discuss our futures, navigate issues we may be having when it comes to starting a business and growing pains and just to unite and have some time with like minded people. Its always fun ! Thanks again Employ to Empower for the opportunity.

PHOTO : My favorite phot0, first store placement back in 2021 and the s**tty stickers I bought downtown St. Thomas and the beautiful ones I buy now. These are things we discuss at peer meetings ;)

DID YOU KNOW : bar products like soap and shampoo bars are approved by the Transportation Security Administration ? Dont lose your personal care products at the security check, take bars instead.

For anyone who doesnt know what AHKE was built for, let me tell you. You can help by liking this page, following my posts and hitting the like and sharing.
We are going to start a non profit to support :

CHILDREN SUPPORTS - help them with sports equipment, clothing drives, christmas hampers, books and school supplies, school trips and lunches, supplies and necessities for newborns that are coming home from hospitals ( that s**t is expensive )

HOUSING AND FAMILY SUPPORTS ( LONG TERM GOALS ) : such as tiny homes ( I love tiny homes ), supportive housing for our vulnerable, ( group homes, apt set ups, seniors supports )

FOOD ASSISTANCE : support to food banks, grocery hampers, etc.

Being invited as a guest presenter was a meaningful opportunity to share my journey with a new group of future entrepreneurs. I spoke honestly about my experiences—the challenges, the lessons learned, and the moments that shaped my path. My goal was to show that entrepreneurship isn’t just about success, but about resilience, adaptability, and staying true to your vision. Connecting with such a motivated group and hopefully inspiring them to take confident steps toward their own goals was incredibly rewarding.
Employ to Empower Thank you 😘👊💫

Some lovely product photos courtesy of Sophie, a photographer, from the show in November. Great pics Sophie, thank you !