Small town Cape Breton supports unique lobster tree fundraiser

It’s not every day that you see 115 lobster traps piled in the shape of a Christmas tree, by the side of the road. Danny Leslie, owner of L’Ardoise General Store, said he got the idea from people who were setting them up in Maine, when he saw them on television at Christmastime. From there Danny decided that if that community could do it, well, so could his.

Danny and his wife, Dawn, collected 115 lobster traps from lobster fisherman in the small town of Lower L’Ardoise, Cape Breton, N.S., and got to work. They first decorated the lobster trap tree for Christmas, then for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day after that. When Mother’s Day rolled around, they decided that they were going to use the tree to collect money, and give it to a local charity. Danny made wooden hearts in his workshop for people to have painted with the name of a special woman in their life for $10. They managed to raise $2,460 for the Palliative Care Unit at the Strait Richmond Hospital.

Next they decided to honor Father’s Day, and made bowties for people to purchase for the tree. They decided that the money that they collected would go to The Salvation Army in Sydney, N.S. This decision was close to the Leslies’ heart, as Danny has a history with the Salvation Army.

“When I was a young man, only 15 years old, I left where I was raised in Glace Bay N.L, and hitchhiked to Toronto, Ont.” recalls Danny. “I arrived there with no job, no money, and no place to stay. I found a job quite quickly but needed somewhere to lay my head down at night, until I got my finances in order. The Salvation Army took me in for a week or two when I needed it, and I never forgot it.”

When Danny met Dawn, 36 years ago, Christmastime arrived and they decided that they didn’t want to exchange Christmas gifts. Instead, whenever they see a Salvation Army kettle, they throw in some money instead. This year, Danny has asked to have a Christmas kettle set up in his store, to give people the chance to donate whatever is in their pockets.

“People in this community love to get involved,” says Danny. “In such a small town, our store acts as a meeting place for people.” So what does Dan hope will come from the Lobster tree? “Maybe other communities will see it, and want to do something to help people as well.” The Leslie’s ended up raising $2,150 for the Sydney Salvation Army.