FOCUS - JULY 2017 31 207 Queen St., Port Perry 905-985-3011 www.lukesforhome.com 10,000 feet of inspiration! Stylish furnishings, accents and giftware from today’s hottest designers. local hospital and support the Foundation,” she emphasized. Dana’s Goldsmithing also sup- ports other worthy causes, includ- ing the Rotary Spring Gala, the new Uxbrdge Scugog Animal Shelter, Community Living and Big Brothers Big Sisters North Durham and given generously in the past to local initia- tives such as; the 2nd arena ice pad, the library expansion and town hall restoration. For 12 years, Dana’s has sponsored a Women’s hockey team, youth hockey and soccer before that. Tim Horton’s Camp Day. McHappy Day. And the list goes on…. “In Port Perry, we all come togeth- er to help and support each other,” she says. Dana puts in 12-hour days, often arriving two hours before the rest of the staff, and three hours after the store closes. She doesn’t always have time to volunteer, so donating is her way to give back. Dana truly deserved the pres- tigious Paul Harris award from the Rotary Club for her contribution to the community, personally and professionally, in 2012. One of my proudest moments was representing the Scugog Chamber of Commerce as their Torch bearer for the 2015 Pan Am Games as the person who most embodied the core characteristics of the Torch Relay: community, celebra- tion, participation and pride. On a Whim A young Dana had her sights set on a career in kinesiology, but she lacked the prerequisite biology credit to pursue this path. “Things always happen for a rea- son,” Dana philosophized. Her parents encouraged her to continue her post -secondary educa- tion, and “on a whim” she chose the three-year Jewellery Arts Program at George Brown College. At high school, Dana was “more into sports, but creative and artsy too.” “When I graduated, I couldn’t find a job in the field,” recalls Dana, noting that many jewellery stores are family businesses. Now she teases her competitors who did not hire her. She started out doing jewel- lery repairs and handcrafted silver pieces in her parents’ basement. In July of 1992, Dana rented what she described as “a 200 square foot little cubby space on Queen St.” In 1995, her father facilitated the purchase of Dana’s Goldsmithing’s present 1,400 square foot location at 186 Queen St. “My parents really believed in me,” Dana says. “They were always so supportive.” Dana’s shining success story spans a quarter of a century. It’s satisfying, she says, to see tears of happiness in her customers’ eyes, when she per- sonally designs an engagement ring, or transforms a piece of family heir- loom jewelry into something bright and new, in memory of a loved one. No wonder she has clientele from all (continued from page 29) ...................... Please turn to page 32