HAVE A HEART…LEND YOUR SUPPORT
On Valentine’s Day, February 14th, 2014, celebrate Have a Heart Day by supporting First Nations children to grow up safely at home, get a good education, be healthy and proud of their cultures.
Have a Heart Day is about caring Canadians working together to ensure First Nations children do not have to fight for the services that all other Canadians enjoy and that they have the necessary tools to allow them to feel proud of their culture and heritage.
Citizens can help by sending a Valentine’s Day card or letter supporting the initiative to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and their local MPP, or by spreading the word through social media.
On February 14th, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and youth from schools across the National Capital region will join together on Parliament Hill to show their support for equitable culturally-based services that will help them to succeed.
In Eastern Ontario, the Enyonkwa’nikonhriyohake’ (Good Minds) Program of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte are recognizing the day by inviting the public to sign a letter of support at the Tyendinaga Community Well Being Centre located at 50 Meadow Drive, on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
As an alternative to attending the events on Parliament Hill Kawenna’on:we Primary Immersion School is hosting a mini-social event on February 14th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 314 Airport Road, Tyendinaga Territory. Parents, guardians and families are encouraged to join in the event, the aim of which is to educate the public about the fact that even on a progressive eastern Ontario First Nation there still exists a struggle for equal educational opportunities for children and youth.
Commenting on the Have a Heart Day initiative, Jennifer Wilson, Executive Director of Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society and Mark Kartusch, Executive Director of Highland Shores Children’s Aid said, “We are happy to support events such as Have a Heart Day that help to raise awareness around the issues and challenges faced by children and families within aboriginal communities. We are hopeful that on February 14th Canadians will send a message that they believe in equal opportunities for all our citizens.”
To learn more about how you can get involved in Have a Heart Day, to send an e-Valentine, or print and sign a valentine, visit the website www.fncaringsociety.com and click on Have a Heart Day.
