Introducing: Jennifer Carey-Cool, Director of Moose Cree First Nation's Child and Family Well-Being Program, and a member of the St. Thomas Restoration Committee. She co-chaired our first community-based fundraising campaign in 2021-22, and she is an ambassador for our upcoming Sawelihcikewin Campaign Ambassador.
As Director of Moose Cree First Nation’s Child and Family Well-Being Program, I immediately saw the importance of the restoration of old St. Thomas for my organization. We are charged with the care of some of our most vulnerable children and families, many of them affected by intergenerational trauma, addictions, etc. Like other local organizations, we need safe community spaces to run key aspects of our programming that will include cultural sharing between elders, children, youth, and families.
Restoring this building will provide a much-needed community gathering space, and one where the MRHHA can continue to partner with organizations like my own to offer programming that supports culture, language, education, families, and intergenerational connections. The MRHHA’s holistic mission of “building a future with our shared past” sees heritage and culture as key sources for rebuilding and strengthening our families and communities. Their collaborative and holistic approach towards community service in this regard is exemplified wonderfully by the “More than 350” commemorative year events and programming. We look forward to working with the MRHHA on their culturally supportive programming and implementing it together in this newly restored and repurposed heritage space.
As a Moose Cree member who grew up in Moose Factory, I can speak of the many positive associations that old St. Thomas has for our community, despite the church’s connection to residential schools. We have welcomed newborns in this building, buried loved ones, celebrated marriages, etc. My late uncle Oliver Chum helped maintained this building for decades. Elders and relatives of mine were part of a women’s group associated with this building that has an incredible legacy of community service in support of families. Many people in this community want this building to live again and serve the community in new ways.
It would be a source of great pride to see this iconic heritage building restored in all its beauty and repurposed in the service of the entire community, especially our children. The programming offered here will help them learn more about the truth of our full history from before the 1600s to the present. The restoration of an old building with a mixed history will also provide a very tangible example for them of how our people are moving forward, today, and tomorrow, in healing and reconciliation. I am especially excited about the possibility of music programming, such as an intergenerational Cree language choir, being offered here.
These are some of the many reasons why I joined the MRHHA’s St. Thomas Restoration Committee shortly after it was created, and co-chaired its first local fundraising campaign, which secured $35,000. Our Chief and Council have also approved grants of more than $200,000 for this restoration project and some councilors and former chiefs are directly involved in the project.
At Moose Cree Child and Family Well-Being Program, we are looking forward to the reopening of old St. Thomas as a renewed and safe space where we can work with our elders, the MRHHA, and other community members and organizations, to support healing among those who need it most. It would also be a great honor to have your organization as part of this healing journey, and our new journey of reconciliation.