With humility, we mourn alongside the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc and all our Indigenous colleagues, friends, partners and family. We recognize as a charitable foundation we have an immediate responsibility to understand our own complicity in the devastating legacy of the residential school system and colonization, and must actively contribute to Reconciliation and systemic change.    

To support our collective Reconciliation journey we offer the following resources and ideas for action:

Immediate support for Indigenous people

If you need immediate support, please contact:
 

• Kuu-us Crisis Line Society 
  The KUU-US Crisis Line Society provides 24-hour crisis services though education, prevention and intervention programs to Indigenous Peoples across the province.
  
  The KUU-US Crisis Line Society  offers 24-7 support at 1-800-588-8717 (toll-free).
   
• Indian Residential School Survivors Society
  
  The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) is a provincial organization with a twenty-year history of providing services to Indian Residential School Survivors by assisting Survivors with the litigation process pertaining to Residential School abuses, assisting the descendants of Survivors, and implementing Community education measures (Indigenous & Non-Indigenous).
  
  Support is offered by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066 or 1-866-925-4419 for the 24-7 crisis line. 

Both the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and Kuu-us Crisis Line Society welcome donations to help them provide a broad spectrum of supports and programming.

Learn about Residential Schools

Understanding the Residential school system and its legacy is essential to meaningful Reconciliation – here are some sources of information

• The Truth and Reconciliation Report and Calls to Action.
• UBC Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre
• Royal BC Museum learning portal: Residential Schools and Reconciliation
• The Residential School System by Erin Hanson (2009), with updates and revisions by Daniel P. Gamez & Alexa Manuel (September 2020)

Support Indigenous-led Organizations 

We encourage those able to give, and especially white settlers, to make a donation to any of the following organizations.

Vancity and Vancity Community Foundation partner with many Indigenous-led non-profits and charities  that are addressing the impacts of colonialism and the residential school system by providing essential community support.

• Lu’uma Native Housing Society
  Lu’ma is a Coast Salish word that means “new beginnings.” Since 1980 Lu’ma Native Housing Society has supported the urban Indigenous community with affordable housing. They also provide a broad range of services including: Lu’ma Medical Centre; the Aboriginal Patients’ Lodge; Community Voice Mail; the Aboriginal Children’s Village; and the Aboriginal Youth Mentorship & Housing Program. Lu’ma is also the Community Entity responsible for the delivery of funding under the federal Reaching Home program to more than 160 non-profit service providers in 30 different municipalities throughout the Province.
   
• Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association (FRAFCA)
  FRAFCA supports the activities that promote the health and well being of Aboriginal People and to promote the resurgence of resident Aboriginal culture, language, and teachings, particularly those of local residency. Contact the Centre directly to donate.
   
• Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Society  (also known as Skookum Lab)
  Skookum Lab addresses the high rate of Indigenous child and youth poverty in Surrey by uniting people that experience poverty, making their lived experience visible, and honouring the wisdom of the urban Indigenous community.  
   
• Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Services Society (VATJSS)
  VATJSS is a non-profit agency that provides justice, homelessness and crime prevention services to Indigenous people within the Metro-Vancouver area.  
   
• Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs (RAVEN)
  RAVEN raises legal defence funds to assist Indigenous Peoples who enforce their rights and title to protect their traditional territories. Through public education programs, RAVEN collaborates with Indigenous Peoples to eliminate environmental racism and foster a greater understanding of indigenous rights and governance.
   
• Kekinow Native Housing Society
  Kekinow Native Housing Society is a not-for-profit organization that provides subsidized, affordable, long-term rental accommodation for people of Indigenous ancestry. Their work reflects the traditional culture of diverse Indigenous ancestry and fosters the physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual elements of human life.
   
• Aboriginal Mother Centre Society
  The Aboriginal Mother Centre is dedicated to moving mothers & children at risk off the streets and provides, under one roof, all the support, tools and resources a mother needs to rebuild her health, self esteem and skills to regain and retain her child. The centre, grounded in a grass roots setting, creates a healing community to nurture children and families to become vital members of their communities.
   
• First Nation Education Foundation
  The First Nations Education Foundation collaborates with First Nation governments to develop language revitalization programs for at-risk indigenous dialects using contemporary educational practices and innovative, interactive technology.
   
• Urban Native Youth Association
  Urban Native Youth Association is the centre of Indigenous youth excellence, supporting youth on their journeys by amplifying and celebrating their voices with a vision of empowered Indigenous youth leading and inspiring all Nations.
   
• BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) 
  BCAAFC is the umbrella association for the 25 Friendship Centres throughout BC. The Friendship Centre Movement began in the 1950s and represents a national network, united by the vision of a vibrant society that supports Indigenous peoples and a brighter future in Canada. Friendship Centres are community hubs. They offer culturally safe programs and services and provide a welcoming space for all members of the community to share knowledge and connect with others.
   
• Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society
  The Friendship Centre, a charitable organization provides programs in health, welfare, social services, human rights, culture, education, recreation, and equality for all genders of aboriginal people of all age groups.  
   
• Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society
  Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society’s purpose is to improve and promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of individuals, particularly focusing on the urban Indigenous community of Greater Vancouver, incorporating all four aspects of the medicine wheel (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health) into their services, programs and community building.
   
• Vancouver Native Housing Society
  Vancouver Native Housing Society is dedicated to providing safe, secure, affordable housing for Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals and families living in the urban setting.
   
• Victoria Native Friendship Centre
  The Centre serves as a gathering place and a vital resource for urban Indigenous individuals and families. Addressing the community’s immediate needs, VNFC delivers career and employment services, health and social programs, vibrant youth initiatives, and dynamic arts and cultural practices.
   
• Moosehide Campaign Development Society
  The Moose Hide Campaign is a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children. Wearing a moose hide signifies a commitment to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life and to work together to end violence against women and children.
   
• Indigenous Perspectives Society
  Indigenous Perspective Society offers specialized training and services supporting indigenous children, families, and businesses while also providing consultation services under an Indigenous lens.
   
• Hulitan Family and Community Services Society
  Hulitan preserves, unifies, and advocates for Indigenous families by supporting healing and fostering resilience through culturally rooted programs and services and collaboration with community partners. Contact Hulitan directly to donate.
   
• Surrounded by Cedars Child & Family Services
  Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services provides child and family services strongly rooted in Indigenous cultural values and world views while ensuring urban Indigenous children and youth grow up connected to family, community and culture.
   
• Mission Friendship Centre Society
  Mission Friendship Centre Society is a nonprofit organization focused on helping to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people and families who are making a transition to the urban community. Contact the Centre directly to donate.
   
• Seven Sacred Fires
  Seven Sacred Fires Society, (formerly the Cwenengitel Aboriginal Society), was established in 1995 as a community ceremony and cultural gathering place with a 12-bed residential support program where Indigenous men can heal the traumas of Indigenous social history.
   
• Lower Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society 
  Lower Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society promotes, supports and advocates for services to meet the needs of Aboriginal families in Langley.
   
• Spirit of the Children Society 
  Spirit of the Children Society works to empower and strengthen Indigenous families in the Burnaby, New Westminster, and the Tri-Cities area by providing support and resources.
   
• Fraser River Indigenous Society 
  An Indigenous organization providing services and programs for the Indigenous community in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to foster a sense of belonging and to provide space to connect and celebrate.
   
• Circle of Eagles 
  Circle of Eagles Lodge Society (COELS) envisions Indigenous Brothers and Sisters leading healthy, balanced lives as empowered individuals, within their families, communities, cultures and traditions.
   
• Helping Spirit Lodge 
  Helping Spirit Lodge Society is an Indigenous women’s organization in the Lower Mainland that works to alleviate family violence and enhance community wellness through a traditional, holistic approach.
   

These are organizations that are advancing reconciliation and building awareness of Residential Schools. 

• Reconciliation Canada - A New Way Forward Society
  Reconciliation Canada is leading the way in engaging Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.
   
• Orange Shirt Society
  Orange Shirt Day was created to: support Indian Residential School Reconciliation, create awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Society activities; and create awareness of the concept of "Every Child Matters."
   
• The Circle on Philanthropy
  The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada (The Circle) transforms philanthropy and contributes to positive change between Philanthropy and Indigenous communities by creating spaces of learning, innovation, relationship-building, co-creation, and activation. The Circle works alongside Indigenous-led organizations, Indigenous informed organizations, organizations with Indigenous beneficiaries, its members and philanthropic signatories of The Declaration of Action to encourage individuals and organizations to learn, acknowledge, and understand more about reconciliation and the decolonization of wealth.