DEER LAKE, N.L. — Juanita Mercer
Terrice Bassler believes a new pottery workshop at the Islaview Foundation in Deer Lake is a synchronicity that can only be explained as the work of a child who died three years ago, and another who died nearly two decades ago.
Bassler’s friend, Sarah Short, formed the foundation two years ago with her husband, Mike Short, in memory of their daughter, Isla.
Isla died of cancer in 2017 when she was three and a half years old. Her parents wanted to help other families who had children with life-threatening illnesses in the same way the Deer Lake community rallied around them.
The foundation’s signature heart pins were created by Bassler, and over the years the foundation and the potter partnered on many fundraising initiatives. Bassler has created everything from earrings to mugs and bowls — usually with the foundation’s signature hearts or rainbow motifs.
“The work of pottery in Isla’s name grew right alongside the formation of the foundation,” explained Bassler.
