Hi my name is Eva and my kids and I are fundraising for the community cafe we are opening in Espanola, Ontario.

As my kids and I have been helping in our local church youth programs, we noticed that a safe space for youth is really needed in Espanola; somewhere they can go when it's not a Wednesday or Thursday youth program. We have a lot of interest and support from the community and from the kids that live in Espanola. Let's just say a lot of kids can't wait for it to open and a lot of them want to work at the cafe. All the adults think it's a great idea and want to come as well.

Koti Café is geared as a community-centered café and youth drop-in space. Our heart is for the youth and so our vision is to not only to operate as a café, but also to serve as a safe space for youth, encouraging creativity, connection, and faith in the community.

We will have board games, special events, a space to be creative and we are partnering with businesses and individuals to sell local products.

We want to have a creative gift shop corner where there will be unique local products to purchase, helping local entrepreneurs.

We also want this to be a space for all of Espanola, not just the kids.

We have begun the work and have a lot of much appreciated volunteer labour, but a lot more work is needed.

Every donation is important and even a small amount is greatly appreciated in this faith endeavor we are undertaking.