Frontiers Foundation National Gathering 2009

Frontiers Foundation celebrated its first national gathering on May 22-24, 2009. The venue was the Project Amik community room, 419 Coxwell Avenue, Toronto on May 22 -24, 2009. It began with the arrival of Frontiers regional coordinators who attended the regular Board meeting featuring reports on Frontiers work in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, Northwest Territories, Haiti and Bolivia as well as an introduction to Project Amik housing complex in East Toronto.Following the agenda, the next day Saturday May 23, reports on our Arctic Educational projects were presented featuring the Arctic Education DVD narrated by FF Board member and Innuvialuit author Eddie Kolausok. Frontiers has a great deal to be proud of in the work and accomplishments of our Operation Beaver volunteers in the NWT and Nunavut with three types of projects:

1. Education, where the volunteers work in schools in small, isolated, First Nations, assisting as tutors and teaching assistants. Our OB volunteers are doing an excellent job in working with students, not only having them improve their grades but also giving them the encouragement that they need to stay in school before they complete their high school education. The following are the communities were Frontiers Operation Beaver volunteers were active: Inuvik, Tulita, Fort Simpson, Wrigley, Jean Marie River, Nahanni Butte, Fort Simpson, Hay River, The Hay River Reserve, and Trout Lake.
2. This past year FF had recreation projects that have proven to be extremely successful in Tisiigehtchic, Tulita, Fort Good Hope, Wrigley, and Nahanni Butte.
3. Special volunteer support to the First Nations. We have sent well qualified OB volunteers in to assist the Saamba K’e Community Development Organization in Trout Lake and to the Yellowknife Dene First Nation.

In this past year we have had Operation Beaver volunteers from Russia, Brazil, England, Germany, Belgium, Mexico, United States and Canada. These volunteers give ten months of their lives to work in very harsh and challenging conditions.

Manitoba Division: Nora Ross, Chair of the Manitoba Division introduced Eric Sefton, Manitoba Division Division Director and “T.J.” Machula, Renovation Manager. Construction and Training Coordinator Brian Monkman was unable to attend due to onsite commitments. Eric Screened a strong presentation of our “Standing Tree to Standing Home” program in Cree country.

Quebec: Lylas Polson and Evelyn Roy described the new Kitcisakik project in the Grand Lake Victoria region of NW Quebec. We have committed two sawmills and $40,000 to start.

Ontario – Canada Affordable Housing: Rick Weatherley, Lylas Polson and Charles Catto (in Liss Larson’s absence) reported on the 131 unit $2.61 million contract with Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Only a handful of homes in the Kenora –Rainy River are awaiting completion. On Roy Stover’s home in Kenora, 21 friends and neighbours volunteered to help. Lylas showed powerful slides on Mary Schembri’s new home in Mattawa, where our new FF Board member Mike Welch joined the work crew with his family!

Current Frontiers Foundation President Lawrence Gladue, Former President Royston Jones and Former Board member Larry Leong spoke passionately at the Gala Dinner held at Project Amik community centre on Saturday May 23rd.on the work of our Aboriginal voluntary service organization, and Executive Director Marco A. Guzman thanked the past Operation Beaver volunteers present at the social event: Lylas Polson, Evelyn Roy, Francie Service, Steve McPhail and Gigi Chan. Marco has reiterated that FF is still looking for volunteers for our housing constructions / renovation projects in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. He added that we are also looking for educational volunteers willing to serve in the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories.