Co-Founder of Love.Craft Athens Was Chosen to Help the Community

Susan Fontaine taught self-contained special education for seven years at Clarke Middle School. She wrote transition plans to help her students be set for success after getting out of high school; the problem is she would see her students graduate and not use the plans that she made for them.

Fontaine received her master’s degree in special education at the University of Georgia and completed the adult transition graduate program.

“There’s a lot of stuff for the younger groups in the school-age groups, and the school system is very supportive of this population and has a lot of services while they’re enrolled,” she said. “But it’s like the second they turn 22, there’s not a lot.”

Fontaine would meet Ariel Levy through their husbands and work together shortly at Clarke Middle School. They saw it was time to make a job skills training program for adults with disabilities in Athens.

They became co-founders at Love.Craft Athens. Levy came up with the name.

“The reason we liked it with the period was because every item comes with a tag of the individual who made it and it says love period, and then the individual’s name so every piece that sold is like love dot lyric,” Fontaine said. “So, it just kind of looks nice and clean.”

Susan Fontaine at Love.Craft Athens. (Photo/ Landen Todd)

Fontaine starts her Monday with scheduling, outreach, financials, marketing, and content planning. throughout the rest of the week, she works with clients and wraps up anything else on Fridays.

 “But really just getting to hang out with these people every day is my favorite part,” she said. “Like coming to work on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and getting to be with surrounded by the crew and watching them express themselves and grow as individuals, and be inspired by them is definitely the best part.”

Fontaine said she hopes someone can take over the business side one day so she can focus on what she loves to do.

“I have no business background, I have no nonprofit background, I simply have an education background,” she said. “I’d rather come in and show up and just make art with my friends and work on behavior. But a lot of times, I have to sit down and do other things that I would prefer not to do.”

Love.Craft Athens is known for collaborating with other organizations like Little Light Co. and Totally Taylored who work for the good of the community.

“That’s just kind of the beautiful thing about Athens is you have a lot of you know, like-minded people just trying to make the community better,” she said. “So, our mission is to provide space for differently-abled adults and integrate them in the Athens community.”

“Working with Susan is pure joy,” Totally Taylored owner Taylor Ooley said. “Her energy is so authentic and contagious; you can’t leave her without a smile on your face.” Ooley met Susan when she signed up for a sewing class at Totally Taylor.

“She gives everything she has to Love Craft and that can be hard to come by these days,” Ooley said.

Fontaine said she loves volunteers and is open to them doing what is needed that month.

“So really, the use of volunteers is to just hold space and be adults and be good role models for our crew here,” she said. “So, it allows them to practice communication and allows them to express themselves.”

Anyone who is interested in learning more can visit https://www.lovecraftathens.org/ for additional information.