Category:

Fundraising

Event Details:

Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”.  The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage all Canadians to wear orange to honour the thousands of Survivors of residential schools.

York Regional Police partnered with a local artist to create a custom t-shirt for our members.  Jeremy McLellan is an Indigenous, multidisciplinary designer, illustrator, and artist with 20+ years of demonstrated creative and community leadership. Jeremy is a graduate and instructor at OCADU (The Ontario College of Art and Design) and a graduate of Mohawk College. He is also a proud father and a Chapleau Cree First Nation member. As an Indigenous Canadian artist, Jeremy believes art is education and an essential component of our collective history and future. The resilience of his community elders and ancestors and the teachings and stories of his many educators, mentors, and collaborators are the inspiration and foundation of his visual storytelling. Contributing to our path forward and the continuous pursuit of truth, reconciliation, and positive action is an enormous honour and responsibility, which Jeremy approaches with respect and passion.

The proceeds from the sale of these t-shirts are going to be donated to the Inaadiziwin Way of Life Food Bank on Georgina Island.

YRP will be hosting our annual Candlelight Vigil at the Marine Unit on Monday, September 29th at 7pm to acknowledge this important day and we encourage all members attend and come out wearing orange.