We are fundraising to create a Community Building and Playground, which will be the Heart of the Siem Lelum Urban Village. Our Fundraising goal is $600,000

Siem Lelum is a 41 unit urban village which houses Aboriginal Families, Elders, and Youth. Phase 1 has been built with grants from CMHC, The Regional Housing Trust Fund, and the City of Victoria. 26 units of housing have been up and running for over 2 years and construction of 15 additional units of family housing has just begun with a grant from BC Housing. Siem Lelum receives no operating subsidy from any level of government so must operate on the modest rents that our tenants are able to afford. Siem Lelum is owned by the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and is operated as a Social Enterprise by Linda E. Ross Property Management Inc.

For more information:

Michael Regis
Fundraising Coordinator
250-381-9336
fundraising.coordinator.sl@gmail.com

Or go to:

https://twitter.com/SiemLelum
http://www.vnfc.ca/siem-lelum-respected-house

• Donations can be made from the Victoria Native Friendship Center website http://vnfc.ca
• On the home page, click the Canada Helps icon

<a href="https://www buy viagra 100mg.canadahelps.org/dn/15341″>

• Under the heading select the fund your donation will support
• Choose Siem Lelum to direct your support to this project
• Follow the payment steps
• Your tax deductible charitable receipt will be emailed to you

The Kwadacha Nation (Tsek’ene) is commonly known as Fort Ware. Kwadacha is located 570 km north of Prince George BC. At the confluence of the Fox, the Kwadacha, and Finlay rivers in the Rocky Mountain Trench.

I visited the Kwadacha Nation in May to do a Community workshop and to meet with Chief and Council as well as the Housing Committee. It was an adventure involving bears and wolves, new friends, a wonderful community dinner, beautiful territory, generosity of spirit and an experience that left me longing for more.

This community is on the go after many set backs which included having their traditional territories flooded by the Bennett Dam in the 1960s.

CHRA Conference Winnipeg, 2015

Christina and I attended the CHRA Conference in Winnipeg this year, April 28th – May 1st. The greatest moments for me were the Metis dancers, singers and musicians playing to a wildly cheering crowd before 9 am – what a way to start a conference! And….Wab Kinew.

Wab Kinew was the Congress keynote Speaker and he gave a dynamic, riveting and impactful speech that had the audience hoping that he would just keep going. He spoke about the home fires which we need to keep burning, he talked about family, he talked about being a Sundancer and what that meant, he talked about the injustices towards Aboriginal people, but he also talked about moving forward together, stronger. He spoke of leaders and how great leaders should have less than the people they lead….if my people are cold I will give them clothes, if they are hungry, I will make sure they are fed first…..

He was wonderful and certainly left me with a feeling of wanting to work harder than I ever have to make sure that all families have a home fire to meet around – a home where they are safe and sheltered.

We took time to visit the Human Rights Museum and it left us emotionally drained, but inspired to act, to make sure that we are part of the solution and not part of “Man’s inhumanity to Man” either pro actively or through inaction or indifference.

Wab’s speech and the Human Rights Museum left us with this one overarching message:

“Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.”

Located on the North Shore of Lake Huron, the Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation (Sagamok) is comprised of over 2000 members, half of whom live on reserve. Sagamok is a beautiful community of rich stories, legends and history that derive from time immemorial. Known for its diversity, prosperity and growth, the Sagamok believe that the development of a strong local economy will help to empower its’ people along their journey towards autonomy and self-sufficiency.