Stephanie and Hannah Brajkovich, at home in Hockley Valley, Ont. on June 1, 2020, have made popular designer masks to sell online with proceeds going to support frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
The organizers: Brenda, Stephanie and Hannah Brajkovich
The project: Raising money for health care workers
Like most Canadians, the Brajkovich family of Toronto has had to make some dramatic adjustments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they’ve also been determined to try and help others during the outbreak.
Brenda Brajkovich, a marketing manager at Polaris Transportation Group, has had to work from home and her daughters — Stephanie and Hannah — have put their working career and education on hold. Stephanie, a freelance photographer, and Hannah, a student at McMaster University, have an interest in fashion and they decided to put their talents to use.
They designed a line of colourful cotton face masks and began distributing them to family and friends in return for a charitable donation. They posted the project on social media and were soon flooded with requests from across Canada. They’ve made more than 150 masks so far and raised more than $2,000 in a matter of weeks. “We’ll keep doing it until we run out of fabric,” Hannah said. “We’re so happy with how it has been going.”
Brenda has been active as well, delivering coffee and muffins to paramedics, grocery store workers and postal employees. “It’s amazing how if you take the time to say thank you and be kind, people are just so receptive,” she said. Polaris has also been making some free deliveries of hand sanitizers and books for children.
Like everyone, the Brajkovichs hope things will get back to normal soon, but they’ve taken comfort in how they’ve pulled together. “I’m proud of my family just for giving back and just going with this unusual territory of life right now,” Brenda said.