ONLC celebrates 20 years of Service

Posted: June 13, 2008

ONLC 20^th Anniversary Celebration

The Ontario Native Literacy Coalition (ONLC) was incorporated in July 1988 and was very pleased to celebrate its 20th Anniversary this summer.

On Friday, June 6^th the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition officially celebrated its 20^th Anniversary with a banquet and evening of traditional drumming and dancing at the CAW Centre, in Port Elgin.

The evening began with Elder Vern Roote, from the local Chippewas of Saugeen, smudging those attending the celebration while one of the ONLC Board members, Theresa Sims, sang and played her hand drum.  The Elder then offered a traditional opening prayer in both Ojibwe and English.  

Prior to acknowledging the special guests in attendance the M’Wikwedong women’s drum group honoured us with a number of songs. In addition to practitioners and administrators from many of the Native Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) programs in Ontario, special guests included Alayne Bigwin, Aboriginal Liaison Officer with the Ministry of Education, Sheila Phillips, Employment Program Consultant, Service Delivery Branch, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), Jeremy Fortier, Senior Program Design & Development Analyst, Programs Branch, Strategic Policy & Programs Division, MTCU, Mary Zoccole, Consultant with MTCU, Evadne Wilkinson, Consultant with MTCU, representatives from the National Indigenous Literacy Association (NILA), the Ontario Literacy Coalition, the Huronia Area Aboriginal Management Board, Ningwakwe Learning Press, AlphaPlus Centre, QUILL Network, the Community Foundation of Grey Bruce, and Bayshore Broadcasting, as well as Chief Ralph Akiwenzie, Chippewas of Nawash, Saugeen Shores Mayor Mike Smith and his wife Donna, staff of the ONLC and the ONLC Board of Directors.

Following the banquet dinner a number of presentations were made including the ONLC’s first Life Membership which was awarded to Bernice Ireland for her many years or service as a practitioner with the NoKee Kwe Native Learning Centre in London.  Bernice also presented the ONLC with a beautiful, hand embroidered wall hanging in celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of Aboriginal Literacy in Ontario.  The wall hanging can be seen at the ONLC office where it is now proudly displayed.

Once the formal recognition segment of the evening concluded, everyone enjoyed a display of traditional dancing, drumming and singing and the evening was closed by Elder Vern Roote.

The LBS practitioners and Ministry guests continued to meet for the remainder of the weekend and worked closely with Brad Brownlee of the Tecumseh Community Development Corporation to develop a strategic plan for the ONLC. 

The Ontario Native Literacy Coalition would like to thank all those who attended this very special event to help us celebrate 20 years of work with Aboriginal Literacy in Ontario.  We would also like to thank the many people and government officials who were unable to be with us and sent in their letters, telegrams, and congratulatory plaques.

Photographs of the Conference will be posted on our website shortly, including shots of the 20^th Anniversary wall hanging created by Bernice Ireland.

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