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Community Spotlight Award Nomination:
Nicole Motter
I first met Nicole last year. My Meet a Stranger Project is funded by the City of Victoria, and they had told me about a local café downtown participating in “Talk to a Stranger Week.” The Capital Park Good Earth Coffeehouse (535 Superior St), was going to be giving out 200 free coffees to anyone willing to stop and chat with a stranger during the morning rush. Volunteers were needed to act as conversational catalysts — of course, I signed up.
At 7 a.m., a group of us gathered at Good Earth, where the owner, Nicole, greeted us with 200 coffee vouchers. In less than two hours, every voucher had been given away to strangers who paused to share a moment of human connection during an otherwise busy morning. Before I left, I thanked Nicole for her generosity. Her warm smile reflected not just kindness, but a deep, genuine care for her community.
A few days later, I popped in for a coffee and noticed something that made me smile — conversational prompt cards placed on the tables as quiet invitations for people to connect. As someone passionate about sparking social connection, it
meant a lot to see a local business taking simple, meaningful steps to encourage community.
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Nicole’s kindness, generosity, and genuine community spirit is inspiring. West Coast Speaks created the Community Spotlight Award to celebrate everyday heroes like her — people whose small, heartfelt actions quietly build stronger, more connected communities.
It’s with deep appreciation that we present the inaugural Community Spotlight Award to Nicole Motter, in recognition of her continued dedication to strengthening community bonds through kindness, generosity, and authentic connection.
Thank you, Nicole. You remind us all of the power of small actions and big hearts.
Fast forward a few months, I stopped at Good Earth Village Walk (1971 Oak Bay Ave). The woman behind the counter looked familiar, but it took us a moment to place each other. Turns out, it was Nicole — she had recently purchased the Oak Bay café, hoping to bring the same community-minded energy to her new space.
As I enjoyed my coffee, an older gentleman was searching for a table. I invited him to join me, and we ended up having a wonderful, heartfelt conversation. Later, I mentioned to Nicole that I’d been considering creating Open to Conversation as a simple, structured (yet casual) way for strangers to share a table and a conversation. She loved the idea, encouraged me to move forward with it, and offered to host it at both of her cafés. That encouragement — from someone I had met only twice — gave me the confidence I needed to seek funding for the project.
When Open to Conversation was officially funded by the City of Victoria, I was eager to reach out and share the news. But before I could, Nicole beat me to it — sending me an email offering 30 Buy-One-Get-One vouchers for me to give to strangers as a simple way to brighten someone’s day. The ripple effect of her kind acts, go beyond her customer base. Nicole also regularly donates the extra food from both locations to the Mustard Seed – because she’s passionate about giving back to the community, as well as reducing food waste.
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