North Bay Indian Friendship Centre
| North Bay Indian Friendship Centre | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Founded | 1975 |
North Bay Indian Friendship Centre is an organisation in North Bay.[1]
In Anishinabek News
- August 2013: The North Bay Indian Friendship Centre established a food buying club where staff and volunteers pack fresh produce for clients. The centre offers the Good Food Box for a monthly fee to encourage healthy eating and chronic disease prevention. The program at the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre was coordinated with help from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit.[2]
- September 2013: This centre was supplied with walking poles to help community members engage in Nordic pole walking.[3]
- October 2014: The centre is participating in a 2014 youth-led initiative to research and protect local water sources.[4]
- April 2015: The North Bay Indian Friendship Centre hosted the Working Together, Sharing Together Conference in 2015. The organization is involved in the Urban Aboriginal Strategy for the city of North Bay.[5]
- May 2015: The organization hosted a graduation ceremony on April 29, 2015, for the first students of a new accredited Cree language program. After failing to secure government funding, the centre launched the course using a private donation from Gabriel Tookate. The centre collaborated with Canadore College to create the curriculum and previously produced a resource book on the Nbisiing traditional territory.[6]
- June 2015: The organization is located in a building on Cassells Street in North Bay. Nancy Potvin served as its executive director for three years before her retirement in 2015. The centre's kitchen is known for serving hearty banquet meals.[7]
- October 2015: The centre hosted the research team that developed the Urban Aboriginal Strategy for the local community. It received a reinvestment of $51,000 from the Urban Aboriginal Strategy to support culturally safe programming. Dawn Lamothe aims to bring more community partners into the centre through the strategic plan model.[8]
- October 2015: The centre hosted a session for the In.Business conference and the Dream Series workshop in October 2015. The facility provided a space for youth to explore their dreams through art, drumming, and singing.[9]
- January 2016: The organization provides employment services, drug and alcohol counseling, and health and welfare services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Staff at the centre advocate for more shelters and affordable housing to address the high cost of rental units in North Bay.[10]
- May 2016: The centre was the starting location for the Anishinabedkwewag Grass Roots Gathering 2016.[11]
- July 2016: The centre was co-founded by Jack Couchie approximately forty-one years prior to 2016.[12]
- July 2016: Gary Dokis is a former executive director of this centre.[13]
- September 2016: Cecile Hookimaw has instructed the Cree language at this centre.[14]
- October 2016: The centre hosted a Sisters In Spirit Vigil in October 2016 to honour Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. Staff and board members at the centre coordinated the event to educate the broader community about Indigenous realities. The centre's Lifelong Care Program Elders created a special blanket to honour victims of violence.[15]
- October 2016: Members of the centre participated in a rally and water walk on September 30, 2016.[16]
- November 2016: The organization is undergoing a rebranding process to remove colonial references from its name. Executive Director Kathy Fortin hopes the organization will be known as the North Bay Indigenous Centre. The transition involves legal changes to the corporation name and letterheads. As of November 2016, the change is expected to be noticeable within the next year.[17]
- December 2016: Ken Dokis encountered a woman at this location who credited his early career intervention with changing her life.[18]
- July 2017: The organization hosted the Maamwi Kindaaswin Festival in 2017. The center organized the event with a focus on honoring grandmothers and Missing and Murdered Aboriginal Women.[19]
- September 2017: The centre collaborated with the WKP Kennedy Gallery to plan a special exhibition for the anniversary of Reconciliation North Bay. As of September 2017, the organization was preparing to issue an open call for artists to participate in the Indigenous Art Gala and Exhibition.[20]
- October 2017: Representatives from the centre attended the Orange Shirt Day event at Nipissing University.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "North Bay proclaims September 30 as Orange Shirt Day", Anishinabek News, 4 October 2017 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Healthy eating in a box", Anishinabek News, 16 August 2013 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Pole walking a better workout", Anishinabek News, 19 September 2013 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Youth start water protection campaigns", Anishinabek News, 24 October 2014 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Working together, sharing together", Anishinabek News, 8 April 2015 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Intro to Cree Language course sees its first graduates", Anishinabek News, 7 May 2015 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Blanket makes ideal pow-wow memory", Anishinabek News, 3 June 2015 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Dawn Lamothe paves the way for youth on the Red Road", Anishinabek News, 27 October 2015 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Mentors set to smooth the road to business for youth", Anishinabek News, 28 October 2015 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Shelter for adult males is desperately needed in North Bay", Anishinabek News, 5 January 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Women sing watersong at town hall event against Energy East Pipeline", Anishinabek News, 18 May 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Hard work in Hand Drum Workshop to stay connected", Anishinabek News, 4 July 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "The Union of Ontario Indians welcomes new corporate leadership", Anishinabek News, 8 July 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Dancing in the sun to heal from the Residential School Era", Anishinabek News, 2 September 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls remembered and honoured", Anishinabek News, 13 October 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Student led rally walk to support Standing Rock Sioux Nation", Anishinabek News, 28 October 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Progressive North Bay Indian Friendship Centre in for a change", Anishinabek News, 21 November 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Anishinabek Police Constable switches to life-long learner", Anishinabek News, 9 December 2016 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Grandmothers honoured at Maamwi Kindaaswin Festival", Anishinabek News, 9 July 2017 (archived copy; original article).
- ↑ "Nipissing First Nation Artists painted mural to be viewed during Indigenous Art Gala", Anishinabek News, 13 September 2017 (archived copy; original article).