Southern friendship

Page 3

The friendship centres in Pincher Creek and Calgary have many similarities, despite the difference in their locations.

Calgary, with a population of more than 700,000 people, offers those looking for Native culture and education a three storey facility on the edge of the Chinatown district in the heart of the city centre. In Pincher Creek, with a head count of just less than 7,000 people, the Napi Friendship Centre has been, for the last 27 years, a one floor bungalow located in a semi-residential neighborhood, a block off the main street of the southern Alberta town.

Both facilities are geared at providing services for Aboriginal people in need of assistance. Both offer services spanning from recreation to counseling. Over the last year, both centres have seen some major changes with more expected to come.

New board members, new administration staff and a new vision are giving the Calgary Native Friendship Society a chance to overcome a troubled past and start out in a new direction.

For more than a year, the society has been plagued by troubles that led to reductions in funding, membership and credibility in the Native and non-Native Calgary communities. At one point, the problems forced the Calgary Friendship Centre to shut its doors for a four-month period. But, according to board President Allen Giroux, the society has managed to deal with the problems and start serving the Native community again.

"They held an annual general meeting back in July 1997 and a whole new board got involved and they turned around and just cleaned up everything," Giroux said. "The society was in debt to the tune of over a $100,000, the savings were way down and membership was way down."

The troubles began in the summer of 1996 when five directors, including the president of the board all resigned.

With only the month-to month funding from the National Association of Friendship Centres, the society's troubles increased in early 1997 when allegations of financial mismanagement were made against the remaining board and the interim members it appointed.

At a society meeting in February 1997, it was revealed that three board members were writing cheques to each other.

Giroux said that the society is overcoming the aftermath and has since re-established credibility within the community and funding agencies and even managed to build a $200,000 budget surplus.

"We've created ties with Siksika and Treaty 7 as a whole, the Metis Association and with various corporations within the city," Giroux said, adding that one of the innovations by the new board was an advisory committee comprised of lawyers and other professionals to assist on a voluntary basis.

"We developed an accountability process whereby if you're going to be a board member, not a rubber-stamp board member, you have to work," Giroux said.

The society is expanding its services and offers programs to the Aboriginal community ranging from job referrals to computer training.

"We're setting up a computer lab where a lot of people can learn to apply themselves to computers," Giroux said.

Further south, the Napi centre is also looking at expansion.

Renovations to the existing building, plus the construction of a new addition will see the centre double in size, easily making room for a day-care centre and a community kitchen.

Renovations in the existing building got underway early in June. Excavation for the new building began a few weeks later.

More space at the Pincher Creek's Napi Friendship Centre will translate into more programs and more services.

"There were things we wanted to do, but didn't have space for," said program director Quinton Crow Shoe.

The original friendship centre building will become a day-care centre, licensed for 24 children between the ages of 18 months to six years.

Room has also been created for a craft shop and a large kitchen facility.

"We have wanted to do it for some time, but haven't had the facility for it. . . There were a lot of programs we woud like to offer but didn't have the space. Now we have the space, said Crow Shoe.

The new building will have a total of nine offices and will also offer some job opportunities.

The centre has applied for funding for a number of positions including home school liaison worker, community liaison worker, career employment officer, and children's services worker.

Once completed, the project is expected to run self-sufficiently.

The Napi Friendship Centre is hoping to have the daycare centre renovations completed by mid-July and ready to open by Sept. 1.