The Halton Hills Anglican Cluster Inuit Outreach Project

St. John’s, Stewarttown

St. Paul’s, NorvalSt. Stephen’s, Hornby

Caring and Sharing as One

MissionTo enable the Inuit to live with purpose through: • Outreach: provide immediate essential items for

survival and dignity of life: clothes, food and other essential items;

• Justice: support national education and employment opportunities.

Fast Fact: The median income for Inuit adults is much lower than that for all Canadians: $13,699 compared to $22,120. Considering the much higher cost of living in the north, these lower incomes have to go a long way.

2010 TD Bank Inuit Clothing Drive

• Through TD Bank’s Susanna Hunter, Dagny Langer’s story was repeated about the appalling Inuit situation.

• Dagny an Inuit foster parent, in particular, the sick children transported from Inukjuak to Montreal said:

“The little ones, new born to 12 years are in desperate need of clothes ages newborn to 12 years. Things like onesies, sleepers, blankets, under garments, long johns, socks, boots/shoes, mittens, and hats. They also need other essential items like baby formula, teething biscuits, baby diapers, baby wipes, baby powder, and soap.”

• TD Canada Trust HR led the first Inuit Clothing Drive

First Contact: Siasi Smiler IrqumiaSiasi Smiler Irqumia was born and lives in Inukjuak. She was greatly influenced by her parents who taught her the traditional way of living. She is a printmaker who uses wood and lino to produce limited edition prints. She also does paintings and drawings portraying images of women at work.

Footnote: Aqiattusuk was Isa Smiler's Inuktitut name. Born in Inukjuak in 1921, both of his parents died from an illness when he was only nine-years-old. He worked as an assistant to a succession of Anglican missionaries, which involved giving Inuktitut lessons and acting as a translator. Encouraged by James Houston, he began carving in 1948. In 2004, he was named one of the four best carvers by his colleague Johnny Inukpuk. At Waddington's November 2008 Inuit Art auction, Mother and Child sold for $48,000. Talking about a chess set he made in the 1960s, his daughter, Siasi Smiler Irqumia, said, "It was one of the best carvings I have seen - little animals carved out of soapstone. ... That chess set reminds me of peaceful times, growing up watching my father make art" (Interview with Inuit Art Foundation staff in Inukjuak in 2009).

TD Gallery of Inuit Art

Isa Smiler Carving

Who is Your Neighbour?A Growing Army of Volunteers• Partnerships with Bethel Christian Reform Church, and Chance to Play,

supported by St. Alban’s Glen Williams, Norval United and Presbyterian Churches, St. Thomas, St. Catherine’s, Baby City discounted diapers

• 1,000’s of volunteer hours ; knitters, quilt makers, receiving blankets made

Since 2010 over $100,000 “in kind” gifts• Storage – $50,000 Gift• Air Freight – $42,000 (6 metric tons) Gift• Truck, Gas and Drivers – $11,000 (9 shipments) Gift

HHAC Gifting increasing year over year– 2011 $200– 2012 $1450– 2013 $1154– 2014 $2374 (Benefit Concert $1,519.40; Garage Sale $740) plus WOW Grant $3475

Inuit Outreach Committee • Connie Karlsson, St. Paul’s Co-ordinator

• Barb Mansfield, St. John’s Co-ordinator

• Deborah Keefe, St. Stephen’s Co-ordinator

• Alice Rice, Community Leader

• Ann Vanderlaan Adema, Bethel, Christian Church

• Bailey Davis-Carter, Community Leader

• Barbara Shein, St Stephen’s

• Mike Mansfield, St. John’s and Treasurer

• Emma Keefe, Youth Leader

• Selena Karlsson, Youth Leader

• Air Inuit, First Air• Lucy Jayne Inukpuk, Makivik, Montreal• Siasi Irqmia, Mayor Inukjuak• Sarah Idlout, Kativik School Board Education

Committee President, Inukjuak• Annie and Elijah Kavik, Elders• Lisi Kavik, Principal Nuiyak School, Sanikiluaq• Johnny Langer and Louisa Kritik, Tasiujaq

Inuit Partners

Transform and Impact Lives

Since 2010 we have reached out to four communities:– Inukjuak and Tasiuaq, Nunavik– Iqaluit, and Sanikiluaq, Nunavut

Outreach - Six tons (813 boxes) since 2010

November 2010 •208kg donated, sorted, packed and driven•40 boxes via Inuit Air

December 2011 •Over 1 ton donated, sorted, packed and driven•169 boxes via Inuit Air & First Air

December 2012 •Over 1 ton donated, sorted, packed and driven•178 boxes via Inuit Air

December 2013 •Over 3.5 tons donated, sorted, packed and driven•3 Shipments, 426 boxes via Inuit Air

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Donations Sorted and Boxed

Volunteer Shippers, Drivers and Donated Transport Truck

Free Freight through Air Inuit

Getting the Message Out

April 14, 2013• Inukjuak Ministry Presentation

May 28, 2013• Mission Beginning Presentation

June 8, 2013• Urban Aboriginal Policy Summit

June 23, 2013• Aboriginal Month Presentation

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Getting the Message Out

Winter 2013• Outreach, FB Anglican Church of Canada

Summer 2013• Niagara Anglican Online Newsletter

January 28, 2014• Celebration and Kickoff Meeting

March 31, 2014• Carolyn Bennett, Liberal MP Aboriginal

Affairs Meeting

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Getting the Message Out

https://www.facebook.com/InuitOutreachProject

http://www.caringandservingasone.com/17

Walking on Water (WOW) Grant

• The Halton Hills Anglican Cluster received a $3475 a WOW Grant from the Anglican Diocese of Niagara to travel to Inukjuak

• On May 10th our vision and mission goals were presented to a panel of eight and was awarded the grant that very day!

• The WOW Grant is supporting Dagny travel

The Spirit Working Through Us

Halton Hills Anglican Cluster Inuit Outreach IS transformational, and furthering God’s mission:

– Truth and Reconciliation Goals: Anglicans are invited to join their Church and society in moving towards right relations; priorities: education and justice, adequate housing, health / mental-health care, and making progress against missing and murdered Indigenous women (March 27-30)

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Northward Bound…Intended Outcomes

• Create a working partnership with The Diocese of the Arctic beginning with St. Thomas, Inukjuak identifying the most effective ways of meeting social needs.

• Become better educated in the South to the abject poverty.• Become more effective, usable and accessible to the Inuit in

the communities.• Improve our logistics chain and create a sustainable model for

further outreach to all Inuit communities.

DonationsTruck

Shipment

Air Inuit & First Air

DistributeNeed

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Measuring Impact

• Meet with the Church and Municipal delegates and elders.

• Attend community events: Church and other Church related gatherings, sewing circles, soup kitchens etc.

• Identify most urgent needs – ministerial, educational, social, health, housing.

• Contacts identified for receipt of, pick up, store and distribute donations; issues identification.

• Communicate the need and outcomes with sensitivity through video-graphy and story-telling; educate as to the need. Consistent feedback will grow our mission and our commitment.

• Continued growth within and beyond our Church answering God’s call to serve.

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Questions?

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