Volunteers Make the Difference*
Breakfast Clubs of Canada First Nations advisor Freddie Wood writes about Crane
River, Manitoba, and their interesting approach to a challenge. Although Crane
River, about 400 kilometres north of Winnipeg, is accessible by all-season road,
food delivery to the local school does pose challenges. This is typical for
isolated communities.
To put this in perspective, Wood also notes that the enlistment of parents’
and other community members’ volunteer support can be challenging in many First
Nations communities. As a result, many school teachers take on the additional
responsibility of daily meal preparation for students. In most cases, schools do
not receive the required First Nations office funding to cover the expense of
hiring school cooks.
In Crane River, however, parents are filling in the gap. When Wood first
visited Lakefront School over a year ago, he was immediately impressed by the
number of parents on site. Their presence makes a difference, and serves to
strengthen the school community. The parents joined their children during
breakfast and chatted with other mothers and fathers over coffee. This informal
interaction is of great benefit to the students.
Two of the mothers accepted the “Best Parental Support” award on behalf of
all volunteers. While these two dedicated women prepare meals for the students
one day a week, they often help almost every day. Several community members take
turns preparing meals for their children. The school committee does its part in
preparing meals on one of those days. Teachers appreciate the school’s efforts
to involve parents, and also join in to help when needed.
This small school with its excellent support system certainly deserves the
“Best Parental Support” award. The school is also blessed with a dedicated
school principal who also shares classroom teaching duties, as well as a
committed program coordinator who also helps as an educational assistant. Wood
is often amazed at this school’s high level of parental support. He believes
that this small-community success could be replicated in larger schools with the
right approach.
* Reposted with permission from Breakfast Clubs Canada Program e-news