Tonttu Project returns after successful first year

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Tonttu Project has returned to Fort St. John to raise money for the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society. 

The project was created by Hannah Jarvinen, a Finnish-Canadian who wanted to share her heritage with the community and raise funds for a good cause during the holiday season. 

The little gnomes, known as tonttus in Finnish, are house guardians in Finnish mythology. They represent prosperity, good health, and happiness in the home.  

Jarvinen explained that she wanted to centre the initiative around the tonttus since the gnomes stood for something good in Finnish culture.

“Now we have people that are homeless and don’t have a home, and I got to thinking about it, well, how can I help them? And so in 2019, I started with the project,” Jarvinen explained. 

This is Jarvinen’s second year running the project, raising $1,300 for the Fort St. John Women’s Resource Society in 2021. Jarvinen said she had been developing the pattern for the gnomes since 2019. 

Since last year, the little gnomes have been sent to homes as far away as Florida and England, said Jarvinen. She also mentioned a woman in Calgary who purchased 25 gnomes. 

This year, the Tonttu Project is celebrating diversity and inclusiveness with colours based on the Pride flag. The gnomes this year are also made out of 90 per cent recycled material. Each Tonttu is $20. 

All of the gnomes are made by hand by Jarvinen, but she is looking for volunteers to help out for the 2023 project. 

“I’d like to engage more of our community in it,” Jarvinen said. 

Jarvinen said she hopes this is something she can expand to other communities and regions to help out more charities and people. 

“I’m kind of like not quite ready for retirement, but you know, you wanna leave a legacy, right?” Jarvinen said. “I think this could be something pretty amazing.” 
Anybody interested in volunteering for the 2023 Tonttu Project or purchasing a tonttu can reach out to Hannah Jarvinen via email at cvasdinfo@gmail.com.