Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn’s Jamie Sarazin recognized for volunteer efforts
By Rick Garrick
ALGONQUINS OF PIKWÀKANAGÀN FIRST NATION — The Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation’s Jamie Sarazin was recently recognized with a 2021 June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism for her volunteer efforts with the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation Traditional Pow Wow Committee.
“It’s hard to come up with adequate words to describe how much we appreciate Jamie Sarazin for her 33 years of volunteering to support the community’s Traditional Pow Wow,” says Pikwàkanagàn Chief Wendy Jocko. “Even though she was not in the spotlight, she was the backbone of each and every event. We could not do this without Jamie’s hard work. We are forever thankful for the time she has given us and made an unforgettable difference to the entire community and beyond.”
Sarazin was one of 15 individuals and eight volunteer organizations that were recognized with the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism on Feb. 3.
“The way she inspires everyone with her volunteer work proves that she is a complete natural,” Jocko says. “We thank Jamie for her energy and passion she put into the annual Traditional Pow Wow. She is a remarkable human being with a big heart for others. You rarely meet a person like Jamie who is so selfless and devoted, and the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation is honoured to have her on our volunteers’ team.”
Sarazin says she was “very surprised and speechless” when she was notified that she was being recognized with the award about a week before the award presentation.
“It’s pretty special — I feel very honoured and appreciated,” Sarazin says, noting that many people sent her messages of congratulations, including that her award was well deserved. “I got a congratulations from our Chief Wendy Jocko and then she called me on my cell phone and congratulated me.”
Sarazin says she and her late husband Kevin Sarazin first volunteered to help bring the Traditional Pow Wow back to the community, and then she volunteered as a gate person at the beginning before taking on a leadership role as the assistant coordinator about 22 years ago.
“I have been the coordinator for about the last eight years,” Sarazin says. “The last coordinator was Jane Commanda, she did the coordination for about 25 years and I helped her.”
When the Traditional Pow Wow was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Sarazin stepped up to bring the community together in a safe way by organizing a community feast with the moose meat that had been harvested the previous fall for the Traditional Pow Wow feast.
“When we cut up the moose, we had it all ready for roasts,” Sarazin says. “Once we realized we were going to have to cancel because of the pandemic, we thought: ‘What are we going to do with that moose? We can’t let it sit for another year.’ So we decided we were going to do a feast to go for the community.”
Sarazin says some people helped to cook the feast and the hunters served the food in 2020.
“They wore their masks and they had it like a drive-thru, so they were serving the food to go for people,” Sarazin says. “We served 230 feast plates.”
Sarazin says they had a small Pow Wow in 2021 with people from the community once they were allowed to gather by the pandemic committee.
“We did our feast the same way and people came and took their meals to go as well,” Sarazin says. “We did it on Labour Day weekend instead of our traditional third weekend in August. And we served 200 feast plates.”
The June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism recognizes the leadership, innovation and creativity of individual volunteers, volunteer administrators and volunteer organizations who support communities across Ontario.