L’Arche chocolate festival expands in the Comox Valley
“I think our world needs every opportunity to find joy together, to celebrate together and to be seen and find a place of belonging,” says Lynda Brosko of L’Arche Comox Valley.
The festival aims to bring joy and connection to people across the Comox Valley, and gives back to the L’Arche community through a $1 donation included in each treat, courtesy of the participating businesses. Photo: Michele Henry
L’Arche Comox Valley is hosting the Comox Valley Chocolate Festival this February, an expansion of their hot chocolate festival last year. Their goal is to spread fun and joy across the valley, with chocolatey treats of all forms.
L’Arche is an international organization supporting people with intellectual disabilities, and has been in the Comox Valley for 25 years, inviting people with and without disabilities to build community together.
Lynda Brosko, community leader of L’Arche Comox Valley, spoke about what the chocolate festival means to her, and why the organization started it.
“This just seemed like the right time of year when we need a treat and some fun, and also the right kind of activity that we can all get into,” she said.
Brosko said she is excited about how the festival is expanding further this year, after the success of the hot chocolate focused festival last year.
“The Chocolate Festival is exciting … Last year we found an enormous amount of support and fun, and this year we have even more businesses that are involved, sharing their chocolaty treats. [Anything] from pastries to hot chocolate, to even some alcoholic beverages this year,” Brosko said.
One business participating this year has said they are excited about the expansion to all things chocolate; Michele Henry, general manager for Hot Chocolates in Courtenay said this is an opportunity to create different flavours and different varieties of drinks and treats.
Henry said that beyond the treats, it is meaningful to participate in a festival that gives back to a community like L’Arche. Photo: Michele Henry
“It’s fun, it's pretty exciting because it gives us a chance to be creative. For the bakery we're doing a double baked chocolate croissant with a raspberry compote inside; it's over the top delicious,” she said. “And for the chocolate side, we have two drink specials. The one on my brain right away is toasted almond biscotti, it's pretty yummy. We've done a lot of taste testing lately!”
Henry said that beyond the treats, it is meaningful to participate in a festival that gives back to a community like L’Arche.
“I think the opportunity to give people a home, you know, a place where they belong and where they're part of a supportive community instead of isolated and separate,” she mused, “society has changed a lot since when I was growing up, and when I was growing up it was all on the down-low and everybody was hidden. So this is a chance to have people [be] part of the community.”
For every treat sold during the February festival, participating businesses will donate one dollar to L’Arche operations and programming. Brosko said this programming includes creative activities like art and dance classes, as well as life skills programs like making meals together.
“Our goals [are] always to make people feel welcome and to create a sense of belonging and live out life together, celebrating our diversity,” the community leader said. “Some of the challenges [are] similar to nonprofits throughout the area: having enough funding and enough volunteers. And some of the celebrations that we have [are] just being together, just enjoying each other's strengths and helping each other out in areas that we need support.”
Brosko said there is an open invitation for anyone to visit the L’Arche I Belong Centre, and connect with the community.
“When we involve everybody in community and create space for our gifts to be known, the whole community thrives more,” she said.
People interested in learning more about the Chocolate Festival, or about L’Arche Comox Valley, can find more information online.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada. Reporting done in the Comox Valley is done in partnership with CVOX.