A portion of each sale to benefit people in need

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

Lucille Schik left an impact and legacy on the New York Mills community far beyond her 11 years of life. Schik passed away from a valiant battle with cancer on May 25, but not before capturing the hearts of the area as they rallied around the Schik family following Lucille’s initial cancer diagnosis back in 2016. 

Over the years there have been community fundraisers, custom signs and even green t-shirts with the saying “We Love Lucille” as a way for showing support for the Schik family. 

Kyle Hagen, of the Owly Coffee Company, is hoping to continue Lucille’s legacy in another unique way through a new custom coffee created specially in her honor. 

“It was just one of those things for me, when stuff like this happens, we all just kind of come together,” said Hagen. “I do a lot of custom roasting the way it is and I just figured with Lucille being such a sweet person, a loving kid, lets just make one called Lucille’s Love and spread the love around.”

A NY Mills High School alum, who graduated with Lucille’ mom Lacey and worked with her dad Jason during the summer months at the school, Hagen recently approached the Schik family with an idea of creating a custom coffee roast named Lucille’s Love. 

“Lacey and Jason are just great people and it was a tough thing to see them go through,” said Hagen. 

Jason Schik credited Hagen with coming up with the idea surrounding Lucille’s Love and said the Wadena business owner has been a big supporter of local organizations and causes over the years. Hagen has also created a custom NY Mills Eagles blend of coffee that supports the NY Mills School.

In all, 25 percent of the proceeds from every sale of Lucille’s Love coffee will essentially be put into a fund to purchase coffee to be used for fundraisers, to give to a family in need, or even just buy a cop of coffee for someone who needs to feel a little love. Hagen said the goal is to basically pay it forward and allow people to feel the same love Lucille was credited with sharing during her life. 

“We are going to use a lot of the proceeds to provide free cups of coffee for people,” said Hagen. “It’s going to be spreading around love to wherever it is needed at the time, but mainly we all just decided we are going to give it away and spread it around,” he said. 

A description of Lucille’s Love coffee online talks about her lasting impact on the community and desire to give back to the community.

“Life is chaos; it can be very unforgiving and is wildly unpredictable, so we wanted to create a coffee blend that embodies the calm in the storm,” says a description of the custom coffee blend. “If you are anything like me, a delicious cup of coffee in the silence of the day is love for the soul. Peace in the chaos. Lucille’s Love is just that. Medium roasted beans from Honduras, Guatemala, and Brazil come together for a lovely cup of coffee. Lucille Schik, God’s precious daughter, was called to Heaven on May 25th, 2024 after lighting up the world around her for eleven years. We would like to share and pass on Lucille’s Love while raising funds for anything the Schik family may need. Lucille’s mom and dad, Jason and Lacey Schik, are two of the most kind and wonderful people you will ever meet. Why the good Lord needed Lucille up in Heaven so soon is something we will never understand here on earth, but we can rest assured that Lucille will be patiently waiting for the time when we all meet again.”

Lucille’s Love coffee can be purchased online at www.owlybeanroasters.shopsettings.com, at Owly Bean Roasters in downtown Wadena or at Owly Coffee Shop along Highway 10 in Wadena.