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H i g h l i g h t s

#GIVINGCHALLENGEIn the month of June, thecommunity supported us in theGreat Canadian Giving Challengeto help us try to win the $20,000prize from Canada Helps. Read thefull article to see who won thecontest and how much we wereable to raise in the month of June.

LETTER FROM SURVIVOR

In June one of our SurvivorsSherlene Bomberry released herSurvivor Story interview. It wasspecial as it marked 50 years sinceshe left the school and she wrote apersonal note for all of us which isincluded in this newsletter.

VIRTUAL TOUR

Due to Covid-19, we are stillcurrently closed to the public. Bypopular demand we have made ourVirtual Tour of the MohawkInstitute available online. There willbe private viewings and a monthlypublic fundraiser viewing. 

WHAT IS THE SAVE THEEVIDENCE CAMPAIGN?The Save the Evidence campaign is an initiative launched bythe Woodland Cultural Centre to raise awareness and supportfor the restoration of the former Mohawk Institute ResidentialSchool building. The vision is to turn the building into anInterpretive Historic Site and Educational Resource. TheMohawk Institute building itself is only one of a handful ofResidential School buildings left standing in Canada, and theonly one in Ontario that offered guided tours until its closurefor repairs.

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50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLOSINGOF THE MOHAWK INSTITUTE

The Great Canadian Giving Challenge organized by Canada Helps, tookplace this past June. Throughout the whole month, every $1 donated to aparticipating registered charity via Canada Helps (canadahelps.org)automatically entered the chosen charity to win an additional $20,000donation. The grand prize draw took place on July 1st, and one luckycharity received this special grand prize of $20,000. 

Congratulations to "Sistering A-Woman's Place" for winning the contest.

We may not have won the grand prize of $20,000.00 but the outpouringof support from our community was truly heartwarming to witness. Wereceived an astounding 300 donations and we cannot express warmlyenough our appreciation and gratitude for each and every one of yourgenerous contributions.

Beyond financial contributions, we received an outpouring of supportthrough our social media and through the sharing our Giving Challenge e-Letter that was  sent out during the challenge. Due to all our supporterskindness and the tireless efforts of the Woodland Team we raised a grandtotal of $33,564.00 for Save the Evidence!

We still have a long way to go with our fundraising efforts but with thesupport of our passionate and generous community we know we willcontinue to be able to take the necessary steps along our journey to thecompletion of the Save the Evidence project.

Thank you / Nya:weh to everyone within the community that we serveand for everyone’s continued support.

Carley Gallant-JenkinsSave the Evidence Coordinator

GREAT CANADIAN GIVING CHALLENGE

DONORMESSAGESFROM THECOMMUNITY

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B y C a r l e y G a l l a n t - J e n k i n sS a v e t h e E v i d e n c e C o o r d i n a t o r

So happy to contribute to thisgood work!  The impact andlearnings from spending a

week at the WoodlandCultural Centre with theMennonite Church last

summer still remain strong. Thank you!

Miigwetch for all yourdedication in preserving the

Legacy of Residential School &all the Survivors. You're suchwonderful people especially

Geronimo Henry. Miigwetchfor the Teaching & stories

which I pass on to others. Imlistening! All I've learned Re:Residential School has greatlyimpacted my World. My mom

was/is  a Survivor fromManitoulin Islnd. She was sent

to Residential School inSpanish Ont & sadly I didntknow until after her death.

Please continue to keep theirSpirit alive & I will do the

same.

Thank you so much for thework you do - my visit to your

centre impacted me deeply.

Preserving memory, deliveringeducation hopefully will resultin broader understanding and

lessons learned.

The Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School operated in Brantford, Ontario from 1828 to 1970. It served as a residentialschool for First Nations children from Six Nations, as well as other communities throughout Ontario and Quebec.

It served as a key tool in the effort to assimilate First Nations children into European Christian society, and sever the continuity of culture from parent to child. After closing in 1970,the land and buildings were given to the nearest Reserve – Six Nations and they decided to keep the building and repurpose it as the Woodland Cultural Centre in 1972. Since then the WCC has been a non-profit organization that serves topreserve and promote First Nations culture and heritage. This month marks the 50th anniversary for the laststudents that would ever attend the Mohawk Institute Residential School.

There are many archives, and a full narrative of the schools timeline, published by the National Centre forTruth and Reconciliation. However, one of the best ways to truly understand the history of residential schools isfrom the Survivors themselves.Sherlene Bomberry, marks her 50th anniversary of leaving the MohawkInstitute, as the last class of 1970.

She shared this photo of herself when she left the school at the age of 14. You can also watch her video below,sharing some of the moments from her interview. She wrote a piece for us to publish on our website to honourall those who attended over the years. We couldn't have found a better way to acknowledge this moment inhistory. Nya:weh Sherlene.

50 YEARS SINCE THEMOHAWK INSTITUTECLOSEDB y L a y l a B l a c kM a r k e t i n g C o o r d i n a t o r

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Sge:no swagwego!Ewehehewi ne gya:soh. Otahyoni: niwagehsyaode. Gayogoho:no nigohwejode.

I am from and live on the Six Nations of the Grand. Fifty years ago, June 1970, I left theMohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, ON at the age of 14 passing intograde 9.  The Residential School closed its doors as a school but inside I left with manyyears of generational trauma and secrets.  In September 1966, CAS apprehendedmyself and three siblings from my mom and baby sister. We ranged in ages of 10, 8, 7& 5. Separated with boys on one side and girls on the other. Those were the loneliesttimes of my young life. Three children have chosen me as their mom, and twelvegrand babies and one great grandson. Twenty years ago I took off this coat of shameand guilt and admitted yes I was in that Residential School. That was a heavy coat towear and I am very grateful for all who have come in my path to guide, support, andencourage me to connect to Who I Am and Where I came from. I’ve fostered andenhanced my personal and professional growth to breaking cycles and movingforward. I am Proud of Me!! No regrets to my past as I respect my healing journeythrough past and future generations.

Nyaweh gowahSherlene

Photo: Newspaper Article September 27, 1970, The HamiltonSpectator www.collectionscanada.gc.ca

September 30th is Orange Shirt Day; a day when we honour theIndigenous children who were sent away to residential schools inCanada and learn more about the history of these schools. 

The day was designed to promote awareness about the Indian residentialschool system and the impact this system had on Indigenouscommunities for more than a century in Canada, and still does today. 

This year due to restrictions on large gatherings, the Woodland CulturalCentre (WCC) will host a number of virtual programs to honour andcommemorate Orange Shirt Day.  Specially designed programs forschools as well as for the public will be available so stay tuned to the WCCwebsite, WCC social media channels and e-blasts for updates.  Contact ourSave the Evidence Team for more details:ste@woodlandculturalcentre.ca

ORANGE SHIRT DAY – EVERYCHILD MATTERS ATWOODLAND CULTURALCENTRE!

DONORMESSAGESFROM THECOMMUNITYI donated to Save the Evidencebecause my mother went to the

Mush hole. She never spokeabout it but I found her name

in Elizabeth Graham’sbook, The Mush Hole: Life at

Two Indian ResidentialSchools, which had year by

year student lists in back. If wewant to know what our

families went through and tellthe truth about one of the

worst residential schools in theworld then we need to save the

evidence.”

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M e l a n i e F e r n a n d e zS p e c i a l P r o j e c t s C o o r d i n a t o r

My son is turning 19 in a fewweeks. As part of his gift, I

would like to donate 19 bricksto your campaign. I think

every child in Canada needs tovisit a residential school aspart of learning about andowning our history. I'm so

grateful that you are workingto restore this memorial to all

those who suffered in theresidential school system."

I'm making this donation inthe midst of the COVID-19crisis because I know that

while the doors of the the WCCmay be closed temporarily for

our community's safety, thework that you are doing to

ensure that the stories ofresidential school survivors

never be forgotten continues.Please use this donation to help

#SaveTheEvidence."

My name is Jordan Longboat.

I am a student in the social service worker program at Mohawk College. I look forward to working on the Save The Evidence campaign to raise awareness andpromote educational opportunities to learn more about this part ofIndigenous/Canadian history.

Although Residential Schools are a dark part of Canadian history, it isimportant to be aware and educated on such matters and to not lethistory be forgotten. Residential schools not only have had an impact onthe Indigenous people who attended but also in our communities thatwe must acknowledge.

The experiences shared by the survivors gives an in depth andunimaginable perspective of what they lived through and witnessed.

NEW SAVE THE EVIDENCESUMMER STUDENT

Orange Shirts are available for order at:woodlandculturalcentre.ca/save-the-evidence/shop-online/

Shirts are available in Youth SizesSmall-XL, and Adult Sizes Small-3XL.All sizes are unisex. The cost per t-shirtis $20.00, with available methods ofpayment being debit and credit online.WCC also offers curbside pickup on allwebsite orders.

VIRTUAL TOUR NOW AVAILABLEONLINE

NEW WHITESAVE THEEVIDENCESHIRTS NOWAVAILABLEOur well known line drawing ofthe Mohawk Institute is nowavailable on a T-shirt in white!

Many of you have supported thecampaign by wearing your blackline drawing T-shirts. Now youcan change it up with the whiteversion.

100% of all profits from theseshirt sales will go directly to theSave the Evidence campaign andby you wearing the shirt you arehelping us spread awarenessabout the campaign.CLICK HERE FOR ONLINESTORE

CONGRATULATIONS:

Anne-Marie Breau-Norris wasthe winner of  a FREE Save theEvidence Tshirt by sharing outour video last month!

Stay plugged into our socialmedia for more contests comingup!

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As an alternative to the guided tour while the Mohawk Institute isundergoing construction and renovations, we offer guests a virtual tour. Thevirtual tour video was created with local production company Thru theRedDoor, and it follows the guide, Lorrie Gallant, as she gives a tour of theformer Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School. Viewers will get to seethe different rooms in the school, from the girls’ and boys’ dormitories, thecafeteria, laundry room, and other rooms throughout the building , as wellas hear interviews from five Survivors of the Mohawk Institute.

We will be offering private showings for businesses and organizations andalso a monthly Virtual Tour open to the public as a Save the Evidencefundraiser.

Join us every third Wednesday of the month this Summer at 7pm and helpus raise funds for this important project.

First Public Screening:July 22, 7PM40 People Registration MaximumAdmission: $10 Donation to STE

For online booking information email ste@woodlandculturalcentre.ca

MAKE A DONATIOND o n a t i o n L e v e l s

$500 – $1500 will receive an invitation to a reception at the AnnualSurvivors Gathering

$1500 – $5000 will receive an invitation for a preview tour of theMohawk Institute restoration plus above.

$5000 – $20,000 will be recognized on the Donor wall within theMohawk Institute plus above.

$20,000 + will receive a copy of our Mohawk Institute Videodetailing its history plus above.

Use the form below or visit us online to learn more:

YOURDONATIONS WILLBE USED TO:

Complete restoration on theMohawk Institute windows; thebuilding has over 200 windows andeach window costs $5000 to restoreDocument Survivor Stories throughaudio and videoComplete restoration of the masonrywith an estimated total cost of $3Mor $5 per brickDevelopment of educationalresource materialsDevelopment of the exhibitsCreate an endowment fund toensure the Mohawk Institute legacyin perpetuity

Want to be recognized on the DonorWall and at the Annual Reception forthe Survivors Gathering?

See Donation levels available andsupport any way you can!

See our website for fundraising ideas.

PAYMENT DETAILS ▢ I have enclosed a cheque(payable to Woodland Cultural Centre)

▢ Donate online(www.woodlandculturalcentre.ca/donate/) 

Charitable registration number: 891177990RR0001 Woodland Cultural Centre respects your privacy. We protect your personal information andadhere to all legislative requirements with respect to protecting privacy. We do not rent, sell ortrade our mailing lists. The information you provide will be used to deliver services and to keepyou informed and up-to-date on the activities of Woodland Cultural Centre and Save theEvidence through periodic contact. If at any time you wish to be removed from any of these lists,simply contact Woodland Cultural Centre at 519-759-2650

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