The team behind the Lunar Webb Vendor Market partnered with The Butterfly Project to help raise funds for SickKids during its Heart Month event on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
The Lunar Webb Vendor Market, hosted by Veronica Webb and Joshua Wall, is held once a month and supports a different local non-profit at each event.
“We’re just excited to have so many vendors here today and to be doing our monthly market series, which we’ve just launched this year,” said Wall. “We started our markets in 2025; we did five, and after talking with all the vendors, what we wanted to do was give them the ability to have consistency so they could tell their audience that they could find them right here at the Polish Hall. So now, every month, except for November, we’ll be hosting a monthly market, and in support of a different local non-profit.”
Webb said that helping to support different causes has been especially rewarding for her.
“It makes me so happy. Honestly, I can’t believe the amount of good work we’ve been able to do for so many positive causes in our community,” she said. “I just love getting to do this, because it’s an opportunity to recognize so many different non-profits and other things that need a little more recognition.”
Wall went on to say that the February partnership with The Butterfly Project came together after he and Webb stumbled upon Krista Kyle and her daughter, Samara, at the store.
“We were picking up supplies for one of our events at the grocery store, and they were outside selling chocolate bars. We asked them what it was for, and they said that Samara had her life saved by SickKids and so we bought all of the chocolate bars, and we used them as a giveaway at that event for door prizes,” he recalled. “We ended up telling Krista that we were doing a market in February and asked if she would consider being our partner, and she was like, ‘Oh my God, February is Heart Month!’ and so now, we’re going to be doing this with them and their family every February from now on, and we’re just going to get bigger and better every year.”
Krista said that, at just seven-years-old, Samara has already undergone seven heart surgeries.
“Samara was born with a rare congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart. Typically with this, you need roughly three open heart surgeries within the first three years of your life,” said Krista. “Samara had a different path and had defects to her other side of her heart, and has actually acquired seven so far in her life. She wasn’t even two weeks old when she had the first four.”
The mother said that despite the circumstances, Samara has remained positive.
“She is very social, outgoing and happy,” said Krista. “She’s never let anything that she’s gone through affect how she lives her life.”
Inspired by her daughter’s journey, Krista said she created The Butterfly Project as a way to show her appreciation for SickKids.
“I created a page on Facebook as a way to give back to the place where our journey began and to help others,” she said. “I just want everybody to be able to know that they have a place to go, and that they have access to the same expertise and life-saving opportunities as we did. SickKids gives so much to other people and I just want to give back to the place where our journey began and to help others.”
When asked why she wanted to give back to SickKids, Samara’s answer was simple: “Because they create new beginnings.”
Like many children her age, Samara enjoys playing, especially with toys like kinetic sand. But she has also had to learn the details of her own medical condition and can explain her heart defect, the names of all four heart chambers and how her surgeries have kept her body oxygenated. She even knows what she wants to be when she grows up: “A paramedic.”
During the event, Samara happily bounced around the space, playing with other children and with various toys, or checking out some of the different products being sold around the room.
With over 30 vendors on site there were plenty of items to browse and buy such as crochet creations, jewellery, candles, moccasins, tie dye clothing, baked goods and artisan sauces, botanical oils and bath bombs, keychains, handmade art and more.
Visitors also had the opportunity to walk away with one of Marco the Clown’s balloon creations, sit for a tarot reading, learn more about local neighbourhood associations, or partake in a little afternoon karaoke.
Wall later said they were thrilled with how the event turned out, and that if anyone wanted to get involved in any future markets, to reach out.
“If there’s anybody out there in the community who wants to be a part of our market in any capacity, whether they know a non-profit that we could lend support to, or if they’re a business owner that wants to get involved as a vendor, we’re very collaborative,” said Wall. “We’re just looking to do cool stuff with cool people and make a difference in our community. Our next market will be March 22 and its in support of the Sexual Assault Centre of Brant.”
For those who missed the event but wants to support SickKids through The Butterfly Project and learn more about Samara’s journey, can do so by visiting: https://give.sickkidsfoundation.com/fundraisers/kristakyle/the-butterfly-project—–
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
