THUNDER BAY — Canada Post has awarded its inaugural Indigenous Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant to Thunder Bay's Wake The Giant.
The formal presentation was made Tuesday at an event at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School.
Led by volunteers, Wake the Giant is a community project focused on spreading awareness and combating racism, partly through a decal program and a concert before the new school year.
The initiative, which is receiving $50,000, also coordinates what's believed to be Canada's largest orientation program for Indigenous students.
Organizer Sean Spenrath said the fact that it won a tight national competition shows that Wake The Giant is helping to lead the way for Canadians on the journey to truth and reconciliation.
He said the volunteers are proud to provide space "that amplifies Indigenous voices in our country," and will continue to provide youth who travel to Thunder Bay for their education an opportunity to connect to the community and feel safe.
The Truth and Reconciliation Signature Grant is available to Indigenous regional or local organizations offering programming anchored in the principles of truth and reconciliation and which support Indigenous children and youth across the country.
Spenrath said it's "an amazing honour" to be the first organization in the country to receive the grant, adding that it will make it easier for Wake The Giant to help youth adjust to living in the city.
He expects much of the funding to go to workshops and some of the training that's required.
Spenrath said winning national recognition for the project is significant, as it helps to validate the importance of Wake The Giant.
"There's a lot of kids in the school this year that have said 'The reason I came here was that I attended the first Wake The Giant and the second Wake The Giant orientation, and it made me feel more comfortable for me to be in Thunder Bay.' "
The Canada Post Community Foundation is supported by the sale of a special series of stamps that are issued every year.
Proceeds are distributed to projects at Canadian schools, charities and community organizations that make a difference in the lives of children and youth.
Since 2012, the program has given over $12.3 million to 1,100 projects across the country.
Rob Lackie, an Indigenous trustee with the Canada Post Community Foundation, is one of the people responsible for choosing the recipients.
"There's a lot of criteria that organizations have to meet. We need to see the financials and so on which are all verified before [an application] gets to the trustee level for the final decision."
Lackie said Wake The Giant made the grade because "it has a lot of impact, for sure."
