One of Shawn’s latest creations. (Photo: Shawn Rice)
A Prince George man is taking empty liquor bottles and giving them a new life as lamps, that he then sells for charity.
Shawn Rice, originally from Newfoundland, started creating back in 2017, but he has only begun making the lamps days ago.
Each lamp takes about half an hour to make, from start to finish.
“I have a bit, where I drill a hole in the back of the bottle. It’s a diamond-covered bit that allows me to cut only the back of the bottle. ”
“I then feed a wire up through, and then I use a lamp kit to build the lamp,” said Rice.
He donates the profits to two organizations: The Big Bike Ride for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and The Cancer walk.
Rice says the two charities are close to his heart.
“My son, when I had just graduated from university, we found out he had a heart defect. There were two places he could get his valve fixed and that was in Quebec or BC.”
That sparked the move from Newfoundland for the Rice family.
“He had to have surgery when he was three months old, and another one when he was 8 years old. Now he is 28 with two little girls, and he will have to have another open-heart surgery.”
As for the Cancer Society, it’s also a family matter.
“When I started out back in 2017, it was also when my brother was going through his cancer treatments,” explained Rice.
“He ended up with a Leukemia that took a lot out of the tendons in his hands. He started a project of sanding bottles to get the strength back.”
One work-in-progress (Photo: Shawn Rice)
That marked the beginning of the candles, and it went from there.
“I’ve donated $8,000 dollars worth, and I’m hoping to do another eight this year.”
Rice works full time during the day, but the evenings and weekends are reserved for this.
“I really enjoy it and it feels really good once I start seeing that number add up, so I know I’m making a decent donation.”
Catherine is an anchor and reporter in the MyPGNow newsroom. Born in Ontario, raised on Haida Gwaii, she now is living in Prince George. She obtained a diploma in Broadcast and Online Journalism at BCIT. You can find her on Twitter @Cath_Garrett
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