BC Métis Federation president Keith Henry, elected board member Jeanie Cardinal from Kamloops and support staff Sherry Daniels attended the North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Center dinner in Clearwater this past Friday, Oct. 3. Over 70 people attended the event, which was hosted by Cindy Wilgosh and a tremendous group of volunteers.
The evening included comments and a presentation from BC Métis Federation president Henry.
There was also a slide show from the North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Center Society, which outlined their core programming including Success by 6 programming, cultural displays celebrating Metis, First Nations, and Inuit cultures in the area, etc. This presentation showcased their programs and numerous cultural events supported by the North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Center Society in the past few years.
Although there has been no core funding the committed volunteers have maintained a number of projects. One of the key priorities for the organization in the future will be the development of a new Aboriginal cultural village.
North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Society has been highly effective supporting local families, children and working with the many partners. One of the key partners is the Michif Historical and Cultural Preservation Society, which has also been a strong partner of the BC Métis Federation.
North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Society registered as a non-profit in 2013 and continues to build its programming and operations seeking to enhance services and expand into Aboriginal cultural tourism.
BC Métis Federation board member Jeanie Cardinal stated, “I’ve known Cindy Wilgosh for many years, her dedication and hard work. She’s committed to the community. I look forward to supporting the community in any way I can through BCMF.”
Federation president Henry concluded, “It was truly an inspiring evening. I gifted one of our new BC Metis Federation sashes to Cindy to honour her work for the community. There were many new Métis friends made and the organizations lot of volunteers is extremely admirable and inspirational. As the BC Métis Federation leader I will work with our board leaders from Kamloops and continue discussions working together to see how we can support one another.”
For more information about the North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Center Society email ntaboriginal.ccd@gmail.com. For more information about the new board members and information watch the BC Métis Federation website at www.bcmetis.com which will be fully updated with the new board this week.