An American mentorship program is now including Canadians for its annual grant that recognizes women in business.
And, a Coquitlam entrepreneur is one of its first four recipients.
Elaine Tan Comeau was recently bestowed $15,000 from the Stacy’s Pit Chips Rise Project, as well as access to mentorship opportunities with the organization's partners.
Comeau's business, Easy Daysies Ltd., creates daily magnetic planners designed to help kids have "easier, less anxious" days, while also teaching them cooperation with parents and family.
After the mother of three's product went live, orders came in from across Canada, the U.S. and around the world, turning into an international campaign that helped qualify for the Stacy's Rise Project grant.
"As a school teacher, I had many parents over the years ask me to create a visual routine similar to what I made for the front of my classroom to help their kids at home with morning routines and after-school routines," reads Comeau's statement on the Easy Daysies' website.
"One day I realized that if I have been making these visual routines for years and for free, there must be a market for such a product.
"Easy Daysies continues to kindly receive countless testimonials....that keep me going when I am working at our kitchen table at 3 a.m. night after night. I hope that I am showing my children to reach for the stars, never give up, and to be kind always."
Comeau's visual schedules have earned her recognition on national television, as well as Canadian Mompreneur of the Year for 2014.
She applied for the Stacy's Pita Chips grant, which also gives winners the chance to participate in a peer group that networks with industry experts.
The project has distributed nearly $1 million in funding and resources to female entrepreneurs since its inception in 2017.
"Programs like the Stacy's Rise Project, that offer direct funding paired with ongoing mentorship opportunities, can be game changers for women entrepreneurs and we are proud to have been part of selecting the first Canadian class to benefit from this opportunity," added Alison Kirkland, CEO of Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada.
For more information, you can visit the Stacy's Rise Project's website.
