Runners honour children on Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Dilico Anishinabek Family Care and the Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation’s Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run was a success with about 700 people registered for 5K, 10K, and half-marathon runs on Sept. 30.
“The run was amazing, a huge success!” says Natalie Paavola, director of health at Dilico and one of the half-marathon runners. “I wanted the Anishinabek people to be represented in every way possible. I wanted the drum to excite and get people ready for their run, get them motivated, so we had drummers and dancers out there and we also had hand drummers encouraging the runners as they went along.”
Paavola says they were very busy while organizing and preparing for the Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run.
“It was a lot of hustle and bustle and being super busy but to see it come to light on the day of and to see the setup happening at dawn, to see the staff and the volunteers just out there, everybody doing what they had planned for, the volunteers all eagerly waiting to be assigned to their tasks, the feeling was overwhelming,” Paavola says. “There was such a spirit of community and collaboration, and you could just tell that everybody felt like they were a part of something. It was very meaningful for everybody, so I think that really made a difference and that’s actually what made the event so successful.”
Blythe Haynen, assistant director of communications at Dilico, says they received a positive community response for the Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run.
“We saw it as a really important opportunity to bring the community together to be part of reconciliation and to provide an opportunity to fundraise for the Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation, which provides real resources to Indigenous youth to be able to live out their dreams,” Haynen says. “We’re really grateful for over 700 people wanting to come together to support the (Mazinaajim Children’s) Foundation, it’s been incredible.”
Haynen says they also received support from businesses, organizations and schools for the Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run.
“We have a number of organizations that are coming and bringing runners as part of their office closures today,” Haynen says.
Beatrice Twance-Hynes, cultural manager at Dilico, says it was an honour to be a part of the Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run.
“Today, we honour the children, especially the children who went to Residential School and never made it back,” Twance-Hynes says. “This is what this is about, to raise funds for the children in Mazinaajim, those who want to do things for themselves to help them heal, to be involved in culture and do what they can like sports.”
Calvin Redsky, one of the drummers who opened the event, says it was important to continue education on reconciliation and to remember the children who were taken away to Indian Residential Schools.
“And remember the sacrifices they made for our people,” Redsky says. “And also remember what our children endured in terms of Residential Schools and the history of our people.”
Half-marathon runners Summer Lavallee and Mark Kamill enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Honouring Our Children Reconciliation Run on the jointly shared Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“I’m participating because it’s for a good cause and a lot of the proceeds go to charity,” Lavallee says. “It’s a beautiful sunrise we got to see this morning.”
“[I’m running] to support truth and reconciliation and Dilico as well,” Kamill says. “There was a beautiful orange sunrise this morning, very fitting.”