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Make a financial contribution: Help support our event. 

    We are asking for donations for our upcoming event called: TOYS event - Treating Our Young Spirits

    Looking to raise funds for 100+ Indigenous children & youth

    - monetary donations for each child/youth (breakdown):

    • $25 will cover toys - age-appropriate gift package (Basic tier)
    • $50 will cover toys and clothing (Essentials tier)
    • $75 will cover toys, clothing and food/hamper (Core tier)
    • $100 will cover toys, clothing, food/hamper and other items (Impact tier)

    One of the largest shortages is gifts for older children and youth (ages 11–18)

    Monetary donations will be used to purchase store gift cards or electronics for teens who have outgrown traditional toys

    If you are able to donation gift cards or new toys, please send an email for drop-off location: nitawashin@gmail.com

    Event is scheduled to happen on between December 19 - 22, 2026 (tentative dates - check our event page for updates)

    Send to: nitawahsin@gmail.com

    Every contribution goes a long way, this ensures that children who are not individually sponsored or who live in deep poverty do not get left out on Christmas morning.

    Thank you so much for your generosity and support!

     

    Make a difference

    In Alberta, over 150,000 children live below the low-income threshold, with Indigenous and visible minority households being disproportionately affected. Due to systemic financial strain, rising living expenses, and food insecurity, many families are forced to prioritize essentials over holiday extras, meaning a significant number of Indigenous children are at risk of going without holiday gifts

     

    BE APART OF THE COMMUNITY EVENT AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

    Please email us if you would like to contribute, donate or volunteer at our upcoming event

     

    Indigenous-led initiatives

    Funding supports our Indigenous-led organization that incorporates traditional healing methods—such as programming, workshops and land-based activities.

    • Invest in Indigenous heritage and culture
    • Empower Indigenous girls, boys, men, women and LGBTQIA2S+

    Fostering a sense of belonging and building resilience to counter the effects of intergenerational trauma—which are effective in building resilience and reducing trauma.

    Direct and visible impact

    Donations enable the creation and delivery of programs that are grounded in Indigenous knowledge, values, and traditions (e.g., cultural education, food systems initiatives, and mental health support), ensuring that aid is appropriate and effective.

    Empowerment and Fostering Reconciliation:

    Focusing on preserving and promoting cultural knowledge, traditions, and artistic practices. This helps combat cultural appropriation and ensures the continuity of vital heritage for future generations.

    Breaking the Chains: Empowering women to escape domestic violence through support services:

    Providing support services to survivors can not only protect them from further harm, it can provide not just a lifeline, but also encouragement, empowerment, and hope.

    While anyone can be a victim of violence, Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ peoples face a greater risk of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in Canada.

    Indigenous women and girls are not only more likely to be a victim or survivor of crime compared with non-Indigenous women and girls, they are also at much higher risk of experiencing specific acts of violence. These include physical assault, sexual assault, and spousal violence. Higher rates of violent victimization among Indigenous women and girls cannot be fully explained by risk factors usually associated with victimization, such as childhood maltreatment, social disorder in one’s neighbourhood, homelessness, drug use, or poor mental health. Even when controlling for these and other risk factors, it is clear that being Indigenous, in itself, is a risk factor for violent victimization of Indigenous women.

     

     

    Key impacts

    Indigenous people face higher rates of poverty, poorer health, lower levels of education, lack of housing or crowded living conditions, higher rates of incarceration, deaths/suicides, addictions as well as Indigenous children/youth are overrepresented in the child welfare system.

    Many urban Indigenous people do not have access to their communities, families, or their history. They often feel alone, forgotten or out of place.

    Your donation will empower Indigenous peoples to reconnect with their heritage, strengthen their emotional and mental health, and build supportive, vibrant communities.

    Learn about the impact of the residential school system, the experiences of former students and the 94 calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in its final report.

     

    Learn more about Delivering on Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action