For #GivingTuesday2018, we’d like to highlight some of the amazing charities and non-profits we’ve had the opportunity to speak and work with throughout the years. We hope that you’ll consider contributing to these organizations as their causes are worthwhile and the people in charge of them are some of the most talented, giving, and passionate people we’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Moose Hide Campaign

The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots organization that started when Paul and Raven Lacerte were hunting moose near the Highway of Tears between Prince George and Prince Rupert B.C. They had the idea to use the hide from the moose to inspire the Moose Hide Campaign, where their primary goal is to end violence towards women and children. Since then, they’ve distributed more than a million squares of moose hide and held the third annual National Moose Hide Campaign Gathering and Day of Fasting on October 18, 2018.

You can support the Moose Hide Campaign on their website. Your donations go towards the Million Man Fast, Moose Hide Campaign Cards, or the Ten Men Challenge and Safe Space, Safe Place Initiatives.

Cheryl Lynn Rutledge Northern Indigenous Student Award

The Cheryl Lynn Rutledge Northern Indigenous Student Award was founded by recently elected GDC President and Lead Graphic Designer at Animikii, Mark Rutledge, to ease the financial burden for Indigenous people interested in pursuing a career in graphic design. Mark initiated the award in honour of his mother who passed away from cancer in 2016 and says that developing an award in his mother’s name felt like the best way to recognize the sacrifices she had made for her children. Marks goal for the scholarship is to inspire and enable young students to pursue their dreams, no matter where they live in Canada.

To support the Cheryl Lynn Rutledge Northern Indigenous Student Award, check out the GDC website for more information on the scholarship and to make an online donation or send an e-transfer to GDC Executive Director Melanie MacDonald at director@gdc.net.

Indspire

Indspire helps Indigenous students in Canada complete their post-secondary education. Indigenous students are under-represented in post-secondary education, with only 10% of Indigenous students completing university degrees.

Help support Indigenous students by encouraging and enabling them to complete their education by visiting the Indspire website. All donations made on #GivingTuesday are quadrupled, as they will be matched by the Eakin family, then matched again by the Government of Canada.

Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS)

IRSSS is an organization in B.C. that started by assisting Residential School Survivors with the litigation process concerning Residential School abuse. Since then, they’ve expanded their work to include assisting Intergenerational Survivors, providing traditional counselling, and offering workshops for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

If you would like to support IRSSS you can submit a donation on their website or call their office at 604-985-4464.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund is part of Gord Downie’s legacy and embodies his, and that of both the Downie and Wenjack families, commitment to encourage Canadians to learn and act in solidarity with Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Its goal is to continue the conversation that began with Chanie Wenjack’s Residential School story and to aid Reconciliation through awareness, education, and action.

To donate to the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, visit their website. Your donation will go towards improving the lives of and creating safe spaces for Indigenous youth in Canada.

Legacy of Hope Foundation

The Legacy of Hope Foundation is an Indigenous-led, charitable organization with the goal of educating and raising awareness about the history and ongoing impacts of the Residential School System. They work in partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations, and with governmental agencies, foundations, and educational institutions to develop educational materials, commemoration projects, and research initiatives that support their mission.

To support the Legacy of Hope Foundation, check out their website for information on how to donate and to make an online donation.

Primary Colours/Couleurs primaires

Primary Colours/Couleurs primaires is a national, bilingual, intergenerational three-year initiative which questions the Eurocentric perspective of art in Canada and instead places Indigenous art at the centre of the Canadian art system. Primary Colours also highlights and supports artists of colour and is actively trying to shift the artistic perspective on Turtle Island to one centred around BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Colour) art and artists. Primary Colours is co-directed by Chris Creighton-Kelly and France Trépanier.

To check out or support Primary Colours/Couleurs primaires visit their website.