June 2013

Volume 2, Issue 11

Upcoming Events 2

Leq’a:mel Cultural AGM 3

Leq’a:mel Day 4

Elders Raffle Fundraiser 5

Youth Update 6

Father’s Day Workshop

8

Aboriginal Day at Sto:lo Tzeachten Sports Field

9

LFN Job Posting 10

LFN Student Job

Posting

11

June and July Calendar 12

Inside this issue:

Mid-Month Newsletter 43101 Leq’á:mel Way

Deroche, BC

V0M 1G0

Phone: (604) 826-7976

Fax: (604) 826-0362

E-mail: info@leqamel.com

Please visit our website:

www.leqamel.com Find us on Facebook!

www.facebook.com/leqamel

Elders Fundraiser Dinner

June 20, 2013

5-7pm at the Leq’a:mel gym

$8—Adult Meal

$4—Children’s Meal

This month’s menu includes salmon, salad, rice,

dessert and a refreshment.

Proceeds will assist with travel to the 2013 Annual

Elders Gathering in Prince George. There will be a

50/50 and small loonie raffle table.

Donations are welcome!

Upcoming Events

Page 2 Month ly Newsletter Volume 2, I ssue 11

June 18, 2013 Youth Meeting

5 pm

June 20, 2013 Elders Fundraiser Dinner

5—7 pm

June 21, 2013 Office Closed

Aboriginal Day

June 22, 2013 Leq’a:mel Day at Xá:ytem

10 am—2 pm, 4—7 pm

June 23, 2013 Leq’a:mel Cultural AGM

12 pm

June 27, 2013 Drum Making Workshop

5 pm (for May and June participants)

July 1, 2013 Office Closed

Canada Day

July 6-7, 2013 Canoe Skipper’s Course

9 am—4 pm, Nicomen Slough

Contact Jason for more info

Page 3 Month ly Newsletter Volume 2, I ssue 11

The Leq’á:mel Cultural Society is required under the Societies Act and under the Registered Charities Directorate to

conduct an Annual General meeting.

I have been asked by some of the Directors of the Society to put forward a notice that there will be a meeting held on

Sunday June 23rd at noon to conduct this session and it will be held at the Leq’á:mel Gymnasium . The requirements

of the AGM are to first of all review any financials, to bring in new membership to the Society and to also appoint the

President, Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer for the upcoming year. The Charitable Tax component requires that a

financial statement is submitted from an auditor to the charities directorate under CRA. What this status gives the LCS

is the ability to be tax exempt and to issue tax receipts for those who donate to it.

There has been no real activity or visioning conducted this past year and the Society is seeking to change this. So follow-

ing the requirements of the AGM process we will close off that portion and then hold a duly convened meeting to dis-

cuss the purpose of the LCS, to define goals and objectives for the upcoming year and to put into action these goals and

objectives with the assistance of all of the Society members. So you are invited to attend the AGM and also the 1st

meeting of the Directors, to brainstorm on revitalizing the LCS and of creating a vision that includes the community, the

leadership and the cultural leaders that will make for a clear and attainable set of goals, of building a team that will en-

sure that our community is made aware that the LCS is not just about building a longhouse, it is about education, it is

about ensuring that we are all doing our part to keep our traditions, ways, and culture alive. This includes planning for

cultural workshop and activities, for classes like the halqemeylem language program, for teaching our community some

of our ways, such as fishing, hunting, canning, for making nets, for making drums, for making our regalia, of learning our

songs, of learning about the canoe, of learning to canoe pull, of harvesting our traditional plants and foodstuffs, of har-

vesting cedar, bulrush, needles and wool for our traditional crafts and dress/regalia. These are only some of the purpos-

es of the LCS, and yes it include about a dream for the longhouse where we can hold these classes and workshops and in

the winter time where we can have our winter dances and also during the year for our other cultural celebrations and

naming and the list goes on.

So on behalf of the LCS, I am inviting all willing participants to come out, share in a potluck meal, to help re-

vive/revitalize the purpose and vision and making it one that is shared by the community, and looks to the future and

involves our past and present.

Important Note:

This meeting is open to all to attend. For those who are willing to become members of this society there is a $1.00

membership fee which gives you a voice and a vote at the meetings, planning and fundraising. We want and need you

as part of this important body who is seeking to revitalize our culture and tradition. We know that there are members

out there who are interested and there are items in the Comprehensive Community Planning responses that indicate

that there is interest and this is the venue to help bring some of those cultural and traditional and language teachings

back to our people, to the forefront and to our youth and community members to embrace and to cherish and to learn.

So there will be:

AGM

Brainstorming and Visioning/planning for the upcoming year and beyond.

Leq’a:mel Cultural AGM

Ma’exe— Chief Alice Thompson

Leq’á:mel First Nation invites you to the 2nd Annual

June 22, 2013 Xá:ytem, 35087 Lougheed Highway, Mission

In 2012, it was decided that Leq’á:mel First Nation would

hold our own Aboriginal Day celebration titled, “Leq’a:mel

Day”. Leq’á:mel Day is a time to celebrate and define what it

means to be Aboriginal, and in particular, to be Leq’á:mel.

Events from 10 am—2 pm

Self-guided tours of Xá:ytem

Bouncy Castles, Dunk Tanks, etc.

Drumming and Dancing

Face Painting

Doors closed from 2 pm—4 pm

Events from 4 pm—7 pm

4 pm Doors Open

5 pm Dinner

6 pm Cultural Work

Schedule Subject to Change

Door Prizes ● 50/50 ● Raffle

Bring your drums and your clappers!

Please bring your own chairs!

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Tae Kwon Do - Mondays and Wednesdays at 5PM

Tae Kwon Do is a Korean Martial Art, meaning

The Way of the Hand and Foot. Our instructor is Dave

Field, he is a 3rd degree Black Belt, spent 36 years with

the RCMP, and 18 of those years with the Emergency

Response Team (similar to S.W.A.T). Dave is also a Cer-

tified Nutrition Specialist, and a Personal Trainer.

Tae Kwon Do has kept a steady attendance

since October 2012, and has gradually increased. There

are students from Leq’a:mel, Chehalis, and the

Deroche area attending classes twice a week. Many of

the Parents of these Youth have said they have seen

great changes in their children’s home, school, and social behavior since they have joined Tae Kwon Do.

We also have an Adults class running; this class is a combination of fitness activities with some aspects of

self-defence.

Please contact me in the office you or someone in your home may be interested in participating.

There is some financial assistance available to those who qualify.

Drumming - Thursdays 5PM-8PM

Drumming recently started back up in the first few weeks of April 2013. We meet every Thursday at

5PM at the Leq’a:mel Gym, unless posted otherwise.

This year, we have seen drastic changes in the Youth and Adult participants from the same time last

year. We have some Youth who have found the courage to lead some songs occasionally, as well as a few

of our Adult participants.

We have also been working on some new hand drum songs, as well as some brand new dances.

This is very exciting to many of us as we know that Leq’a:mel First Nation has, in the past, struggled with

finding our own cultural identity. It is through this year’s group, so far, that we are finally seeing big chang-

es, changes that are making history for our community!

Here are a few dates to mark down:

June 20th – Drumming will be at Xa:ytem Longhouse, we will be doing a couple practices for the 2nd AN-

NUAL LEQ’A:MEL DAY

June 22nd – 2nd ANNUAL LEQ’A:MEL DAY

June 27th – Drum Making Workshop, must attend for the month of June to participate

Youth Update Jason Thompson, Youth and Recreation Coordinator

Page 7 Month ly Newsletter Volume 2, I ssue 11

LFN Youth Meeting – JUNE 18th at 5PM, LFN GYM

Many of you may know, we have not had a lot of usual Youth Activities such as Youth Night, Youth

Outings, or other. This is due to, yet again, a critical drop in attendance and participation from Youth and

Parents.

I would like to plead to the Youth, Parents, and LFN Members in general to attend this coming

Youth Meeting. This is the best avenue to discuss what is working, and what is not working. This is also a

good time and place to discuss how we can make the Youth Programs more accommodating and rele-

vant to those who have some good ideas.

Canoe Skipper’s Course - JULY 6th and 7th, 9am-4PM

This course is being offered to LFN Members who are 15+ Years of Age. However, some Youth un-

der 15 Years of Age may be eligible to participate if they are mature and physically capable of taking the

course. This course will take place on the Nicomen Slough. The hope of this course is for those interested,

to learn how to skip, steer, and safety tips of canoeing.

Upon the certification of those participants, we intend to make use of the Mission District’s Jour-

ney Canoe, which was commissioned by Western Canoe and Kayak. This canoe is a very realistic replica of

the Coast Salish Ocean Canoes. We hope that we can make use of this canoe to introduce Mini-Canoe

Journey’s around the slough, and eventually into the Fraser River, in hopes to get our community into the

Tribal Canoe Journey’s that happen every year to a decided destination.

Contact me in the office if you are interested, or have questions or concerns.

Cultus Lake Waterpark - PENDING, July 26th

I know many of you are anxious to sign up for this year’s Cultus Lake Waterpark, usually held in

July. Unfortunately, we are waiting for Sto:lo Nation to give us a yes or no answer on using their bus as

transportation.

Once we get a solid answer, this will determine whether we rent a large, expensive, charter bus,

or simply give out tickets if we cannot successfully secure transportation. Once we find out, a sign up list

will be put out for a maximum of 60 people.

Participation Incentive - DRAW ON LFN XMAS COMMUNITY DINNER

The Participation Incentive is for LFN Members. Adults (19+ Years) have a chance to win $1,000,

and Youth (18 and Under) can win $500. All you have to do to be entered to win is to participate!

When you show up to an event, meeting, activity night, volunteer to help, or community function,

you will be entered for every time you attend something. At the end of the year, 2 names will be drawn at

the LFN Christmas Community Dinner. However, you must be present in order to win! So come on out

and get involved LFN!

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JUNE & JULY 2013 S U N M O N T U E W E D T H U F R I S A T

16 17

Martial Arts 5pm

Chief and

Council 6 pm

18

Fit Nation 12 pm

Family Advisory

6 pm

Youth Meeting

5 pm

19

Community

Health 10-3

Employment

Services 10 -3

Martial Arts 5pm

20

Fit Nation 12 pm

Elders Fundrais-

er Dinner 5-7 pm

Drumming at

Xá:ytem 5 pm

21

Office Closed

National

Aboriginal Day

22

Narcotics Anon-

ymous 7 pm

Leq’a:mel Day

@ Xá:ytem

10 am—2 pm,

4—6 pm

23

Leq’a:mel

Cultural AGM 12

pm

24

Martial Arts 5pm

25

Fit Nation 12 pm

26 Community

Health 10-3

Employment

Services 10 -3

Martial Arts 5pm

Family Advisory

6 pm

27

Fit Nation 12 pm

Drum Making

Workshop 5 pm

28 29

Narcotics Anon-

ymous 7 pm

30 1

Office Closed

Canada Day

2

Fit Nation 12 pm

3

Community

Health 10-3

Employment

Services 10 -3

Martial Arts 5pm

4

Fit Nation 12 pm

Drumming 5 pm

5 6

Narcotics Anon-

ymous 7 pm

Canoe Skipper’s

Course

9 am—4 pm

7

Canoe Skipper’s

Course

9 am—4 pm

8

Martial Arts 5pm

9

Fit Nation 12 pm

10

Community

Health 10-3

Employment

Services 10 -3

Martial Arts 5pm

11

Fit Nation 12 pm

Drumming 5 pm

12 13

Narcotics Anon-

ymous 7 pm

14 15

Martial Arts 5pm

16

Fit Nation 12 pm

17

Community

Health 10-3

Employment

Services 10 -3

Martial Arts 5pm

18

Fit Nation 12 pm

Drumming 5 pm

Boardroom Booking

Gym Booking

Community Building Booking

(#10 Valley View)

Office Closed

General Information