As you walk through the front doors of New Tech on a seemingly uneventful Saturday morning, you see vendors fill the halls as far as the eye can see, taking over the gym. The sounds of dogs barking are faintly audible over the sound of live music in the media center. All of this was for one of Hope Squad’s biggest fundraisers: The Art and Heart Fair.
This is the second Art and Heart Fair hosted by Hope Squad in New Tech history, with both new and returning vendors across DFW and beyond selling everything from colorful clothes to candles, with 40% of the profits going to the Defensive Line, a nonprofit committed to ending youth suicide.
Hope Squad has been hard at work planning and coordinating this event. According to sophomore Hope Squad member Jeffrey Pryor, “Even from the start of the school year, we’ve had work done to make this event the best possible.” The event offered a multitude of booths, with small businesses and individuals selling interesting trinkets and art pieces. A few that stood out include:
Lauro Family Jewelry
Hailing from Oklahoma, Lauro Family Jewelry creates beautiful custom silver jewelry. Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Lauro family learned silversmithing, first apprenticing under mentor silversmiths. They then created their own business to make their own jewelry. They sell everything from bracelets to earrings.
The handmade bracelets take about 20 hours to make from start to finish. They use sterling silver wire and tubing to make the band, then decorate it with sterling silver bezels. These bezels are completely handmade, “which is kind of unique to [the Lauro Family], not a lot of people are able to do that” said the Lauro family. They then choose which stones to put in the bracelet to add a bit of sparkle.
Everman Animal Shelter
The Everman & Forest Hill Animal Shelter made an appearance with an outdoor booth promoting two dogs up for adoption. The animal shelter is “a really small shelter in a rural rea so we don’t get a lot of traffic…so we’ve been looking at local events in the area to take our dogs to” said a shelter volunteer. While interviewing the volunteers, a shark bark traveled through the air as Blair, one of the dogs up for adoption was running around with a potential “match,” with Jason barking back a few feet away.
Easy Breezy Bakes
If you’re looking for something more local, Easy Breezy Bakes may appeal to you. You can smell their mouth-watering treats from across the gym. Making their debut at the Art and Heart Fair, the owner of Easy Breezy Bakes decided to make cookies, cakes, and bread to sell at the fair. Typically making these treats at home for family and friends, Easy Breezy Bakes decided to expand and go to the Art and Heart Fair for their first event. However, challenges arise from selling these sweets. Since it was their first event, they took the day before off at work and spent around 10 hours baking. “It was really difficult to understand how much to make. I only brought half of it with me. I have a bunch more about a mile away from here to bring it by if I run low,” said the representative.
This amazing opportunity for both budding new artists and seasoned veterans hosted by Hope Squad gave small, local businesses a chance to be in the spotlight and thrive, thanks to the months of planning and hard work of the Hope Squad members.
