Impala Canada has made a new friend in Esther Maud, a woman on a mission to continue an after-school program that runs out of a local Thunder Bay elementary school. Last week, we sat down with her so she could share her inspiration and vision for the program with all of us.
Esther submitted a funding request to us, for a program she founded, and still runs every day, called Wabshkaa Animikii Benesii. The after-school program has a focus on land-based, traditional, and cultural programming and is run out of Sherbrooke Elementary School in Thunder Bay.
“My kids used to attend an after-school program in the school, but in early 2022, I got word that the program was ending and wouldn’t be reopening,” Esther recalls, adding that news of the closure weighed on her for a week before she took action.
After consulting with the school’s principal, she got a team in place and started to ask for donations. In April 2022, she had 11 registered children. Since then, the free program has grown to 45 children, two paid staff and two volunteers, operating for three hours every weekday and offering snacks, Indigenous-centred teachings and a hot meal.
“This is a safe place for our kids; a place where we can break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and keep our culture alive,” Esther says.
Impala Canada is supporting the student program with a $2,000 donation, which will fund all the food for the program for one month. Aligned with our commitment to caring for community, and delivering support where needed, we are proud to support Esther and the students who will continue to learn and grow through the Wabshkaa Animikii Benesii program.
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