NEW GRANT FUNDING FOR RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SEARCHES

The Aurora Foundation launches new grant program for searching Residential Schools

Winnipeg, Canada: Reconciliation begins with acknowledging the truth, and acknowledging the truth means seeking answers. No parent can live without knowing what happened to their child, nor should they be subjected to such grief. Without first addressing this genocide in Canada, we cannot truly commit to truth and reconciliation. Despite good intentions, apologies simply are not enough and are effectively meaningless without action.

To do our part, The Aurora Foundation Inc. launched a new grant funding program to honor the children lost and in recognition of the National Day of Truth & Reconciliation, to aid in the search for graves and anomalies at Residential Schools throughout Manitoba. Chair, former Grand Chief Ron Evans, stated: “Without addressing the historical trauma of the Residential School system, we cannot truly achieve the calls for justice as set out by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. No parent should be without their children, to not know what happened, to not know where they are or how they died. The Residential School Searches program recognizes where our important work must begin; at the beginning, to strive for a brighter future for the next generation.”

Between 1883 and 1996, approximately 150,000 children across Canada passed through the Residential School system under the enactment of the Indian Act. At least 4,100 children disappeared, but the number could exceed 10,000 children, through a system administered by Christian churches. The Indian Act policy was for Christian churches not to return the bodies of deceased children to their families but instead, to bury them in unmarked graves which the churches failed to protect. Children were torn from their families, isolated, subjected to horrific abuses, intentionally orchestrated to strip children of their culture and heritage, all of which have led to inter-generational and systematic traumas.

As a society, we must also acknowledge the tremendous wealth we have inherited or generated by being in Canada, and this acknowledgement extends to all peoples, including newcomers and peoples of color. Vice Chair, Suzi Bonk adds, “As a woman of color and first-generation immigrant to Canada, we encourage all racialized peoples to stand with Indigenous peoples in communities across Manitoba to reconcile the horror of past abuses with the truth on this important day and every day. As racialized people, many of us personally know the pain of racism and the heartbreak of prejudice. We must collectively do whatever we can to reconcile this grave injustice.”

The Aurora Foundation welcomes donations to its important work for victims of crime and those who experience victimization in Manitoba. More information on the Residential School Searches program and where to donate is available at The Aurora Foundation website: www.aurorafoundation.ca.

About The Aurora Foundation, Inc.

Formed in 2021, The Aurora Foundation Inc., is a not-for-profit organization offering funding to serve and support victims of crime and those who experience victimization. Presently, the Foundation’s primary focus aims to address Gender-Based Violence as Manitoba experiences the highest rates of violent crime in Canada and remains in the top three provinces for GBV across the country. Never has coming in last been so important as The Aurora Foundation seeks to dramatically change outcomes for victims of crime and their families. Victims of crime, their families, members of the general community and agencies serving victims are welcome to participate in the ongoing needs assessment surveys available through The Aurora Foundation website.

MEDIA CONTACT
Ron Evans, Chair
The Aurora Foundation, Inc.
+1 (204)-791-8660
media@aurorafoundation.ca