Spend your winter ‘Crafting 4 Turtles’ with the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative
North Hastings volunteer group is accepting donated crocheted, knitted, and other crafted projects in support of the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre
Who says you have to venture out into the cold to volunteer your time in the community this winter? By “Crafting 4 Turtles” with the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative, you can support efforts in treating and caring for local turtles without leaving the warm comfort of home.
Being held for the eighth year in 2025, the project calls on creative conservationists to crochet, knit, paint, embroider, build, or otherwise create to raise money for the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC).
“There are a lot of people that like to help and volunteer, but they just don’t have the time or they have physical limitations, so this gives them an opportunity to help the turtles in a way that suits them,” says Kelly Wallace, founder and managing director of Think Turtle Conservation Initiative. “It would be great if everybody could volunteer time and be on the ground helping out, but it just doesn’t work out that way, so this is a different avenue to explore.”
A volunteer group based in North Hastings, Think Turtle Conservation Initiative is not unfamiliar in using crafted items as part of their awareness campaigns.
After their 2017 Remembrance Day project saw over 1,000 fibre poppies installed along the bridge in Bancroft, Wallace approached a local craft group, Knittervention, to orchestrate a “yarn bomb.”
In May 2018, hundreds of knit and crocheted turtles decorated the town to raise awareness just as turtles were starting to cross highways across the region.
“It was the coolest thing and fun because it went viral,” recalls Wallace. “I think that’s possibly what got me thinking about using creativity to help turtles.”
All craft items collected through the Crafting 4 Turtles initiative will be sold through markets, community events, and online with 100 per cent of proceeds going to the OTCC, which houses Ontario’s only turtle hospital.
In its first year in 2018, Think Turtle Conservation Initiative raised enough to support the OTCC in purchasing a new electrocardiogram (ECG) machine. Crafting 4 Turtles has continued to raise more and more funds each year, and has given a total of more than $10,000 to the centre.
“Whether it’s going to equipment or anything else, it’s going to be helping turtles,” Wallace says “A lot of people really like the idea of purchasing something and knowing the money is going towards conservation. It’s something that people are thinking about more and more these days.”
By having each crafted item for sale at the events at a low price point, Think Turtle Conservation Initiative makes donating for the cause more accessible.
“Money is a concern, and people don’t have disposable income, so a lot of these items are small and kept around the $5 price point so people will purchase them,” says Wallace. “But people are still buying these little keepsakes and people really like the fact that, by purchasing this, they know the money goes towards helping injured turtles, which is really cool.”
While the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative offers a number of educational projects and engages in species recovery efforts, Wallace notes that sometimes having the crafts when they are at community events makes their outreach more accessible and appealing to audiences.
“It means that people spend time at the booth and we engage in conversations, and it prompts talks with other people,” Wallace says.
“I’ve always said about turtle conservation — and I would apply it to any kind of conservation — that sometimes you have to come at it from different ways, and this might not be the typical route, but it does encourage people to talk and ask questions, and it helps us to raise awareness.”
Over seven years, Wallace has seen lots of creativity come from the fundraiser, with people donating flowerpots, turtle shell afghan blankets, mosaics, quilts, potholders, keychains, greeting cards, and even slime turtles.
While crafters often stick to the turtle theme, bumble bees, ladybugs, flowers, and other nature-based items often sell well too.
Wallace suggests the only things that would not be accepted are wash cloths, dish cloths, and crocheted tea towels, so as not to undercut local small businesses that sell such products. Other than that, she says, the sky is the limit.
“I don’t like to say no to anything so if there’s a way of figuring something out, because it’s all for such a good cause,” says Wallace. “It makes it interesting because it’s not like people are going to come back and see the exact same things as last season.”
Wallace encourages people who want to get involved but don’t know where to begin, to reach out by contacting Think Turtle Conservation Initiative.
Those who have no experience but want to try their hand at crafting for turtles can contact the organization for a crochet or knit pattern for turtle stuffies.
“Everybody has different things they are interested in, with different materials and mediums they want to use, so we’re always happy to make some suggestions and take it from there,” says Wallace. “The fun part is we never know what’s coming in because every year the mix is different.”
Though the Crafting 4 Turtles initiative runs year-round, Think Turtle Conservation Initiative is asking those who are able to donate the crafts by the end of May 2025 so the group can stock up for the summer markets and events. Contact the organization to arrange pick up, drop offs, or delivery to the Bancroft office.
“It’s really great to see the enthusiasm and just the community spirit in supporting turtles, with both people being keen to make things and people keen to support by purchasing things as gifts or for keepsakes,” says Wallace. “It’s a neat approach, it’s always so fun, and it’s something different.”
For more information on Crafting 4 Turtles, visit thinkturtle.ca/crafting-4-turtles or contact Think Turtle Conservation Initiative at 647-606-9537 or thinkturtle@yahoo.com.
By Megan Gallant, kawarthaNOW
