CESO | SACO Celebrates National Aboriginal Day

June 2009

June 21 is National Aboriginal Day, a time to recognize all the many cultural contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. Since 1996 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from across the country have celebrated this important day by coming together to share traditional food, song, stories and dance. It is a day of fun and celebration. At CESO, we recognize the value and dedication of our Aboriginal volunteers and staff who work all year long to strengthen communities, organizations and businesses by providing high quality programs and services to Aboriginal people from coast to coast.

CESO Aboriginal Services delivered 581capacity development assignments in the last year. We have also played an important role in assisting women in both on and off reserve communities by delivering our ‘Aboriginal Women for Tomorrow Program’. This program of culturally specific workshops empowers women by providing leadership training, teaching entrepreneurial skills and financial management. Over 900 women participated in the training last year alone. By building on the richness of Aboriginal cultures, CESO volunteers helped to improve governance practices and enhance their economic development.

Our strength as on organization comes from remarkable people who share their knowledge and cultural diversity and who work relentlessly to make Canada a better place for all.

CESO joins the many Aboriginal organizations that have planned celebrations to mark National Aboriginal Day by hosting its own event for staff and local volunteers.

I invite you to take part in the many cultural events hosted by Aboriginal organizations across Canada. A list of scheduled regional events may be found at: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ach/ev/nad/index-eng.asp

Sincerely,

Bob Dickson
Vice-President National Services