Mom Prints Free Orange Hearts for Reconciliation Day

A box of bright orange heart stickers sits on a fence corner in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, waiting to fill the town with symbols of remembrance and hope.

Celina Woycheshen, a longtime Girl Guides leader, launched the Pitt Meadows Orange Heart Project five years ago with her daughters Sophia and Toria. They wanted to raise awareness about Canada's residential school system and show support for survivors ahead of National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30.

The family got inspired by a similar campaign in Chilliwack and decided to bring it home. When the Katzie First Nation offered to pay for one sticker for every household in their community, Woycheshen declined payment and provided all 305 hearts for free.

The response warmed her heart immediately. After posting an appeal on their Facebook page, donations poured in to cover the costs within days.

Now the project returns each September. This year, Woycheshen filled a box with her handmade permanent vinyl stickers and tied it to a fence at Harris Road and 119 Avenue, where anyone can take one for free.

The stickers work indoors or outdoors. Woycheshen's family placed theirs on their car window, but she says they look great on coffee cups or water bottles too.

The Ripple Effect

What began as one mother teaching her daughters about reconciliation has spread throughout an entire community. Five years later, orange hearts appear on cars, windows, and storefronts across Pitt Meadows each fall, turning individual acts of remembrance into collective acknowledgment.

The project shows how small, accessible gestures can help communities participate in important conversations. By making the stickers free and easy to find, Woycheshen ensures cost never becomes a barrier to showing support.

Her partnership with the Katzie First Nation demonstrates what meaningful reconciliation can look like at the local level. When Indigenous community members expressed interest, she prioritized relationship over profit, strengthening bonds between neighbors.

"We would love to see the community full of orange hearts," Woycheshen said, and each year, more hearts appear.