20 years ago, in 2006, Shag and his wife Claire were neighbours with Save Your Skin’s founder, Kathy.

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“When we sold our house and moved into a condo, I wanted to live somewhere full of young families,” says Kathy. “Kids running around, life happening. That’s where I wanted to be.”

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Shag and Claire lived in the complex, and they met Kathy through another neighbour.

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“Those kids grew up in my house,” says Kathy. “Anytime their parents had to run somewhere, one of the boys would end up on my knee. And I swear, they’d fall asleep there every single time.” 

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That’s how close they were.

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When Kathy got sick with melanoma, she started having Wednesday date days with Shag & Claire’s kids. Every week, Kathy would pick them up from daycare, grab McDonald’s, then go swimming or skating at the community centre. It was her way of getting out of the house, of finding joy when things felt heavy.

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Eventually the older of the two children went off to school, but Kathy never lost her Wednesday dates with their daughter, Chloe. 

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“She became the bat girl for my ball team,” says Kathy. “My whole team loved her, little pink hat and all.”

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One day, Chloe brought home an art project from daycare - her tiny painted handprints on paper. That simple piece of art changed everything.

 

When Kathy started talking about creating Save Your Skin, Shag & Claire didn’t hesitate. They just said, “Let us help.”

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They knew websites. They knew graphic design. They knew marketing and communications. That was their world.

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Shag told Kathy, ‘Next time you have Chloe, put your hands in paint and press them onto paper. That’s your project for the day.’

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So she did. Next he sat Kathy down and asked her some questions. 

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“What does the sun mean to you?” he asked.

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She said warmth…and sickness…all in the same breath

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“I loved the sun, but it had almost taken my life,” Kathy says.

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He asked about her favourite colours. Kathy replied with the sunrise, the sunset, and the Mexican Bird of Paradise flower she brought back from Palm Springs every year. Those answers became Save Your Skin’s identity. And within a week, Shag came back with the logo.

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Claire took that logo to the company she worked for and asked if they would help the new Foundation. Together, they created Save Your Skin’s very first banner and tablecloth. Then the canopy tent. Suddenly, Save Your Skin existed in the world, not just in Kathy’s heart.

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Shag created all Save Your Skin’s original branding guidelines. Claire helped shape the Foundation’s early strategy, making sure our ideas were grounded and sustainable as the board started forming goals and plans.

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They weren’t just volunteers. They were neighbours who believed in something before it even had a name.

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That logo - the hands, the connection, the warmth - it still stands today. It’s trademarked now. Recognized across the country. But to Kathy and that group of early supporters, it will always represent friendship, generosity, and community. They saw what this could become, long before anyone else did.

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And that’s how Save Your Skin found its voice - through painted hands, shared stories, and neighbours who simply said yes.