CBC Television picks Concordians as "Montrealers of the Week"
Vendors setting up inside the Henry F. Hall Building are hardly a newsworthy occurrence. But the day Thomas Prince and Laura Schnurr displayed their Beads of Awareness, CBC News: Montreal anchor Jennifer Hall and her cameraperson were there to record them. On Friday, March 4, the duo was featured on the newscast’s “Montrealer of the Week” segment.
Prince, a student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Schnurr, a student at the John Molson School of Business, are co-founders of a start-up business called Beads of Awareness. It involves importing handmade beads from Uganda and selling them here.
Prince first got the idea for the venture two years ago when he worked with the Concordia Volunteer Abroad Program (CVAP) building housing in the African country. He was approached by a local business owner who was interested in expanding outside Uganda.
Back in Montreal, Prince discussed the idea with Schnurr and the two decided to go ahead with the venture. They were inspired by the idea of providing an additional income to the women who make the colourful beads, most of whom work from home as they mind young children.
The beads are crafted from recycled paper, the waste products of magazines and brochures. Twenty percent of the sales receipts go back to Uganda, to boost the women’s income and to contribute to community projects such as a new library.
As Hall describes the sustainable business in her television report, “for a duo determined to help the environment and the disadvantaged, the concept seems a natural fit.”
Though not their only effort, Prince has also helped organize the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign. Starting March 13, students and guests will sleep rough on De Maisonneuve Boulevard to raise money and awareness about life on the streets.
Related links:
• Beads of Awareness
• 5 Days for the Homeless - Now, March 7, 2011