ESTEVAN - The Métis Nation Saskatchewan Estevan Local No. 25, in co-ordination with Southeast Newcomer Services/Southeast Advocates for Employment, will hold the Every Child Matters event at the Souris Valley Museum on the national Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30.
The event will honour survivors of residential schools and recognize Orange Shirt Day.
The Métis Nation local chapter will provide free hamburger soup and Bannock for everyone to come and have a meal.
"It's between the City of Estevan, Newcomer/Advocates, the Métis Nation and the museum, which is hosting it for us," said Linda Sopp, the president of the local chapter of the Métis Nation.
"We're honouring and having to recognize Orange Day," said Stephanie Davis, the settlement advisor and program co-ordinator with Southeast Newcomer Services.
They hope someone from Pheasant Ramp First Nations will be able to attend and share some words with the guests.
She added that for Southeast Newcomer Services, it's important to support and bring awareness to the Every Child Matters movement and Truth and Reconciliation Day.
The museum will be the site for the event and will also have some information about Indigenous people on display for guests.
"We are happy to host the event here at the museum. We were approached to see if we would want to partner and we said, 'Absolutely.' So we are providing space for the community to come out to learn about Truth and Reconciliation, about Indigenous culture. We also are going to be having the doors open to the museum for attendance for everyone and our Indigenous display for people to come to ask questions, learn about the history and cultures of Indigenous people in southeast Saskatchewan," said Mark Veneziano, Souris Valley Museum executive director.
He will be available at the museum's Indigenous corner to answer questions and talk about Indigenous culture and heritage within their collection.
Estevan city council approved a donation of $500 to help cover the supplies at council’s latest meeting.
"We have come a long way over time. We want to be able to help our community in the future as one people," said Sopp, in her message to the council.
An open event will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sept. 30.
"We hope everybody comes out, supports (the cause) and has some bannock bread and some hamburger soup," Davis said.
Health guidelines will be followed during the event.
