Change agents: 3 Sask. women who were heroes in their communities in 2022 | 24CA News
It does not take a lot to be a hero. It might be one thing smaller, like serving to somebody cross the road or providing to prepare dinner some meals for a household that is experiencing sickness.
Then there are those that flip their compassion into motion on a grand scale.
Saskatchewan is stuffed with girls who’re heroes not solely of their communities, however exterior the borders of their cities and cities.
24CA News spoke to 3 of those girls about what they completed in 2022 and what they hope to do in 2023.
Nicole White
Everyday objects are far costlier in northern Saskatchewan than within the south. When prices are double or extra, issues aside from meals and family requirements grow to be nonessential objects.
That contains menstrual merchandise.
“Something that I can get in Saskatoon for $5 would be $20 to $25 for a northern family. And if you’re living under the poverty line, [a menstrual product is] considered a luxury product and is definitely taken off the list every month,” mentioned Nicole White, founding father of Moon Time Sisters.
Moon Time Sisters is a collective that helps individuals in northern and distant communities throughout Canada entry menstrual merchandise they in any other case couldn’t afford. The group has been doing so since 2017, however White mentioned 2022 was an enormous yr due to a donation from attire firm Joe Fresh.
“They have given us $100,000 and they actually launched their line, a period underwear, with us and donated 10,000 pairs that we were sharing across the country,” White mentioned.
While Moon Time Sisters now serves throughout Canada, White remains to be very a lot targeted on serving to these in northern Saskatchewan.
The group offers communities with material pads, menstrual cups, tampons, pads and now underwear, to be distributed totally free at locations like counselling workplaces, colleges and neighborhood based mostly organizations.
In 2022, Moon Time Sisters donated their two millionth product to northern and distant communities.
White mentioned she loves that she’s serving to to de-stigmatize the dialog round menstruation.
“I’m a change agent. That’s me. I push back. I do not accept the norm. How do we build something better? That’s really what I want to strive to for.”
So what’s subsequent for Moon Time Sisters? White mentioned the group goes by a rebranding, to be inclusive of two spirit and transgender menstruators. Soon, will probably be referred to as Moon Time Connections.
“We worked closely with a group of two spirit elders to help us identify that name to honour and recognize all of our members who menstruate in the community.”
As for White, she’s obtained different causes on her plate for 2023.
White is venture lead at Enough Already Saskatchewan, a corporation that works to deal with and stop office sexual harassment by workshops.
“We’ve been really busy specifically with male-dominated workplaces this last year. And I think we want to continue to do that work, especially branching out in construction and in the trades,” White mentioned.
Jennifer Denouden
Regina property developer and property supervisor Avana has served as company sponsor for Lulu Lodge’s Walk the Walk fundraising occasions for 2 years.
Avana develops residential properties that it rents, and has a particular deal with inexpensive housing. It companions with neighborhood organizations to assist girls and kids who’ve skilled intimate accomplice violence get housing.
Lulu’s Lodge is a transitional house for LGBTQ people between the ages of 16 and 21 who’re going through homelessness. It’s run by the Regina department of the John Howard Society of Saskatchewan.
“I have four young kids. I could not imagine putting them in that situation or seeing another child in that situation,” mentioned Jennifer Denouden, president and CEO of Avana.
Denouden and her husband Troy made serving to Lulu’s Lodge a central focus in 2022. She realized in regards to the suicide charges of the LGBTQ neighborhood and the house’s fixed wait checklist.
“At Avana, we have quite a high percentage of staff that identifies from the LGBTQ2S+ community. And so it’s important for myself as a leader to show through actions such as words that we are inclusive. And so I got involved and more educated on the community and their needs and how often they’re overlooked,” mentioned Denouden.
That led Denouden and her husband to donate $100,000 to Lulu’s Lodge in August.
“We really believe in not taking our situation and our success for granted. We built a business from very, very small to very, very big in a quite short amount of time,” Denouden mentioned.
“I think people with privilege often get so comfortable in it and and forget that they actually are privileged and they forget to use it for the right reasons. I try as much as I possibly can to keep educating myself and identifying ways that I can show up for people who don’t have that.”
Denouden mentioned that in 2023, Avana will sponsor the YWCA’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes occasion, contribute operational funding to Sophia House and as soon as once more sponsor Lulu Lodge’s Walk the Walk fundraising occasion.
Rebecca Sylvestre-Lemaigre
Until 2022, Rebecca Sylvestre-Lemaigre, venture supervisor of the Turner Lake and Birch Narrows Community Food Centre in northern Saskatchewan, was a one lady present and a tireless one at that.
Now she has three new staff to assist her with the centre’s increasing packages.
The centre, positioned 330 kilometres north of Meadow Lake, doesn’t merely give out meals to these in want. Instead it teaches neighborhood members find out how to prepare dinner conventional and nutritious meals by funding offered by Community Food Centres Canada. The newly minted Mind Your Food program now gives baking courses as properly.
In 2022, the centre had its kitchen renovated and a brand new neighborhood backyard was added behind the constructing.
That’s not the top of it. The centre will change an incredible deal in 2023, as Sylvestre-Lemaigre works to open a “huge” playground and a strolling space for the elders who go to the centre.
In November, Sylvestre-Lemaigre received an award for well being and wellness on the Strength of Our Women Awards Gala in Saskatoon.
“They gave me an award for health and wellness because they believe that I’m keeping the culture strong,” mentioned Sylvestre-Lemaigre, who’s happy with the accomplishment.
Turner Lake and Birch Narrows Community Food Centre additionally expanded its tenting and searching programming in 2022 to incorporate youngsters from different communities like La Loche and Meadow Lake.
“They went out hunting and we spent like five days on the land. They got to go out in the cold weather and learn how to call the moose. It was amazing.”
Elders are by no means ignored. They additionally had a particular tenting and searching journey.
“They got to go back to their roots and they got to go back to where they grew up. So they were showing us memories of rocks that they scraped their names on, and where they had their first kiss. It was so cute.”
Sylvestre-Lemaigre mentioned her focus for 2023 shall be reaching out to youth in the neighborhood as a lot as potential.
“I think youth need to go back to the centre. Because of the pandemic they were so isolated in their own home,” she mentioned.
“A lot of them are still getting used to being together, and building that trust again. We need to put them back together and get them socialized together again.”
