Thank you to everyone who joined us and our partners Wetaskiwin & District Heritage Museum and Wetskiwin Family and Community Support Services for yesterday’s 8th annual Wetaskiwin Orange Shirt Day Walk and Celebrating Our First Communities Program at Jubilee Park in honour of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We are especially grateful for the generosity of our community members who were able to donate bannock, which was shared with each other and those living unhoused in our community. Thank you also to Bill Tozer of Water Works Studios for donating the sound equipment, the City of Wetaskiwin for their financial support, and of course all of the amazing volunteers.
We would also like to send out a heartfelt thanks to Elder Ivy Raine and the Reverend Hugh Matheson for their spiritual guidance, our speakers Danielle Baptiste and Floyd Baptiste for sharing their stories, the Hand Drummers led by Nathan Rattlesnake and Drum Group Thunder Lake for guiding us with their songs, and Karlene Cutknife and the dancers Willard Cutknife, Charlie Favel, Kalani Cutknife, and Floyd Baptiste for sharing their culture with us and especially our youth dancers Mia, Alyrika, Kalyan, Jenna, Akita, Zaden, Emma, and Rosie for the continued hope that together we will make a better future.
