This is my first RIOTS article as the new chair of our Indigenous Committee. I’ve stepped in for Cliff Thompson as he has become our President Elect this year. Congratulations on your new role, Cliff, and thank you for all the amazing work you have done for this committee!
 
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
 
In observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, all members were encouraged to wear an orange shirt for our weekly Zoom meeting.
 
On June 3, 2021, the federal government declared September 30 the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, so this was the first annual commemoration to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Acknowledging this painful history is an important step on the long path to reconciliation.
 
Orange Shirt Day is more than a superficial nod to the residential experience. It is an Indigenous grassroots-led movement to raise awareness of the tragic legacy of residential schools, to honour those who survived, and remember the children who did not.
 
The significance of the orange shirt goes back to Phyllis Webstad a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation who wore a new orange shirt on her first day of school, only to have it taken away from her. Today the orange shirt symbolizes the traumatic stripping away of culture, language, and family, experienced by many Indigenous people and communities across the country.
 
If you’d like to learn more about the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation or the larger process of reconciliation, as well as Orange Shirt Day, this Government of Canada webpage is a good place to start:
 
 
If you would like to make a commitment to reconciliation beyond, or instead of, wearing an orange shirt, please consider making a donation to our own club’s Indigenous committee, to help make lasting, positive change in these communities.
 
 
Indigenous Scholarship Update
 
As many of you know, the past year has been a tumultuous one for the University of Sudbury, our partner in the scholarship program. The University of Sudbury was a federated college of Laurentian University and has been adversely affected by the financial crisis at Laurentian. In fact, the Laurentian Federation has been dissolved and the University of Sudbury is not offering courses at this time.
 
Uof S intends to continue functioning, but the ongoing changes have posed a challenge for our scholarship students and our program. I am happy to report that over the last several months, Cliff has navigated all of this turmoil to ensure that we can continue supporting the education of all the students to whom we’ve made a commitment.
 
We were even able to select a new scholarship candidate for this academic year, Tyler Shanush, who is studying business and has just entered fourth year. He and our two existing scholarship students, Hailey Sutherland and Kayla Sunshine, are all enrolled full-time at Laurentian University and the scholarship funds have been provided to Laurentian to be disbursed to the students.
 
This fall, the scholarship committee will be reviewing potential partners to ensure the Rotary Indigenous Scholarship has a stable and secure home going forward. That could be Laurentian, or it could be a different university. More to come on this as the review unfolds.
 
All three of our scholarship students have faced an uphill climb with the difficulties at UofS and LU, as well as with COVID, having to adapt to online learning and missing the fellowship of the full university experience. They are incredibly grateful that we have stuck with them through all of this and have found a way to continue supporting them through a very challenging time. We wish them all the best for this academic year!
 
 
Moon Time Sisters
 
Please be sure to attend our weekly Zoom meeting on October 7 when Veronica Brown of Moon Time Sisters will be our speaker. This group, part of True North Aid, provides menstrual products to young women in remote and northern communities in Ontario and Saskatchewan, essential items they could otherwise not afford.
 
We know that access to menstrual products is fundamental to young girls being able to continue their education and pursue opportunities.
 
Moon Time Sisters runs annual collection drives and are kicking one off in October. I’m hoping we’ll be able to participate in this, even in a small way this year. The committee will be discussing this opportunity in the coming days and we’ll have more information for you soon. In the meantime, check out their website at: https://truenorthaid.ca/moon-time-sisters-ontario/