|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It was a beautiful late summer day on Saturday as dozens gathered at the site of the beautiful Mohawk Village Memorial Park in Brantford, a project meant to honour survivors of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School.
The park sits on the property right in front of the notorious residential school and includes gardens, benches, a sculpted strawberry and toadstool climbing installation, meandering paths (appropriately named healing pathways), a pavilion, and soon, a memorial wall.
The gorgeous interlocking path was just installed a few weeks ago, allowing guests at Saturday’s fundraiser to walk or run along the path to honour survivors while raising funds for the rest of the work to be completed.
The project has been years in the making, thanks to the tireless work of various volunteers and survivors.
The park is a place of remembrance and healing for survivors and their families and is continuing to accept donations to finish the work on the memorial park.
Survivors have been holding the annual fundraiser every September encouraging participants to run or walk 17 km, which is roughly the distance from the Mohawk Institute back home to Six Nations.
Children were constantly running away from the school to get back home and away from the abuse and torture they endured at the government-sponsored, church-run boarding school.
Survivors Dawn Hill, Roberta Hill, Sherlene Bomberry and Roland Martin gathered and reminisced about their time at the school before it closed down in 1970, noting that as the years pass on, there are fewer and fewer survivors left.
Additional features to be installed include more garden areas, a memorial wall, pond, fire pit area, tiered garden and a fruit orchard.
Anyone wishing to donate to the cause can send an e-transfer to mvmp@mohawkvillagepark.com.
It is a registered charity and also has a page on the popular donation page Canada Donates where people can donate, as well.
Originally published in the Two Row Times, September 16, 2026 (Volume 14, Issue 5), page 3.