WIIKWEMKOONG—On July 9, three participants from the Community Living Sarnia-Lambton Adult Respite Program, along with support staff, had the honour of visiting Community Living Wikwemikong Anishinabek’s summer camp for four days as an adult respite cultural exchange initiative.
“Everyone was over the top excited for our camping vacation which started by crossing Georgian Bay on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry,” said Connie Locking, adult respite supervisor for Community Living Sarnia-Lambton. “Arriving at this beautiful camp in Wiikwemkoong we were greeted by some very outgoing, professional staff who made us feel more than welcome,” noting that their hosts were John Trudeau, Ashten Assiniwe, Ursula Bondy, Natalie Ryaner and Adam Kaboni. “The support staff planned a boat ride to Indian Head in Killarney for us to enjoy some famous fish and chips and do a bit of sightseeing. During our spectacular camping trip, not only did we enjoy boating, but we also enjoyed hiking to stunning Topaz Lake—certainly, a gem of Killarney Provincial Park!”
“We ate delicious homemade Indian tacos and fried balogna and scone. We enjoyed listening to Adam Kaboni’s drumming performed on our behalf and talked about what some of the song meanings were and the significance of drumming to Indigenous culture,” continued Ms. Locking.
“I think the cultural experiences provided by the staff were probably the highlight of the visit,” Ms. Locking added. “And the boating trip was awesome. None of us had been to Killarney before and it was wonderful.”
Ms. Locking said, “during COVID things were closed down for a couple of years. When we got back to normal, we wanted to do some things different. I was at Wiikwemkoong for a visit and they told me about the Community Living Wikwemikong and the summer camp they have.”
“I talked to reps from Community Living Wikwemikong, including the director and this got the ball rolling,” said Ms. Locking.
“Community Living Sarnia-Lambton thanks Community Living Wikwemikong Anishinabek for their outstanding hospitality. We feel very fortunate to have experienced such a wonderful camping trip. Friendships and memories were made by all. We hope next year to return with even more participants to share in this cultural experience,” said Ms. Locking.
Community Living Wikwemikong Anishinabek gratefully acknowledges the Chase the Ace fundraiser that supported the development of the cabins at the Wikwemikong Camp.
As a follow-up to this respite cultural exchange initiative, some of Community Living Wikwemikong Anishinabek’s respite participants and their support staff will be visiting Community Living Sarnia-Lambton later this summer, said Ms. Locking.
