Kerry Ramsay’s Helium encourages lifting others up with community

Kerry Ramsay, Fresh Idea Collective founder, reads a passage from her book Helium to the audience at the book launch, which took place on Nov. 13 at the Livery Yard.

Kerry Ramsay, founder of Fresh Idea Collective, hopes her new book will carry on the mandate of uplifting others through coming together as a community.

Ramsay held a launch for her book Helium at the Livery Yard during the evening of Nov. 13. Ramsay read some passages from her book to the audience and gave examples of women taking charge and building community, such as the Livery Yard’s Liesa Hartman and the Iris Collective, co-founded by Jo-Dee Burbach and Cranla Warren. Keeping women in entrepreneurship in mind, Ramsay said that for those too busy to read a book cover to cover, Helium was designed in a way where readers can digest the book’s concepts with summaries and highlights throughout.

Ramsay was touched that many supporters came down for her book launch, including her parents, husband, members of the Stratford and area community and her friend Karou Miller, a tea sommelier and owner of Kingston’s Cha Cha Tea.

"Tonight was just a beautiful night,” Ramsay said. “It was community in action, and this is what the book is all about and honestly, I hope that anyone who reads this book can experience this same feeling of what it feels like to be lifted and to lift others because that’s what it’s all about." 

The Fresh Idea Collective is a support-based networking group empowering women entrepreneurs across Perth County. Ramsay compared the idea of supporting women as a community-driven leader to a helium-filled balloon, like the bright yellow balloon on the cover of her book, lifting.

“In a similar way, I think we all are lifted when we are part of community and not only that, but as women we all have the potential to become community-driven leaders,” she said.

Helium can either be purchased at Fanfare Books or Got it Made in downtown Stratford, with more locations to be announced. More information about the book, including preordering, can be found online by visiting https://www.freshideacollective.com/helium.