Valerie G. Barnes Connell Jordan
Northern Advocate
Women were honoured at the annual Piwapan Women’s Centre Women’s Gala on Friday Oct. 10 at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre (JRMCC).
Karen Sanderson received special recognition for serving as Piwapan’s Executive Director for 18 years. Several members of her team praised her leadership and many other skills during the Gala.
Sanderson was nominated by her daughter, Katie, and has continually worked to keep the Piwapan current and always expanding.
She has taken the organization went from eight employees to opening five offices and managing close to forty people. They also expanded services to include things like Relationship Wellness, Youth Empowerment, Community Outreach, Family Violence Outreach, Second Stage Outreach, Second stage Housing, along with evening programming.
“The Centre’s programs have always been sage place to build healthy connections for youth, women, men and the LGBTQ Community,” Katie Sanderson wrote in her nomination, adding, her mother has always been an advocate to raise awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous women and girls and two-Spirit people (MMWIWG2S).
Sanderson is not only Piwapan’s Executive Director, she is a “University student by night” along with being a daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend.
“She is also my biggest supporter, my inspiration and my best friend,” Katie Sanderson wrote.
Other women honoured included, within the Leadership category: Marion Otter, a member of the James Bay Waswanipi First Nation, is University Coordinator with Northlands College. Jaycee Misponas is a third-year student in the Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NSITEP).
Donna Banach, nominated by Tori McKenzie; Edna Natomagan, nominated by Colleen Sanderson; Laura Nagy, nominated by Cheryl Jeffries; Deb Charles, nominated by Jordan Bird; Oliveen Sanderson, nominated by Lillian Sanderson; Shauna Nagy, nominated by Cathy Mazuir; Sandra Clinton, nominated by Steve Hou and Deb Charles; Clara Sanderson, nominated by John Sanderson; Chris Halkett nominated by Jesse Hepworth; Roseline Offodile, nominated by Jesse Hepworth;
Eileen Roberts, nominated by Marvin Ballantyne;
Under the health and Wellness category:
Laura “Nancy” Halkett-Ross, nominated by Tiffany Bell; Cathy Wheaton, nominated Jesse Hepworth; Sherry Custer, nominated by Noreen Custer; Sharon Feschuk, nominated by Deborah Gibson Dingwall; Valerie McLeod nominated by Kyra Luciuk;
Margie Charles, nominated by Cassandra Spence; Ann Roberts, nominated by Cassandra Spence; Kayla Halkett nominated by Tiffany Bell; Stephanie Bell nominated by Tiffany Bell; Cassandra Spence, nominated by her sister, Ann Roberts.
Culture/Elder category
Eleanor Hegland, nominated by Jordan Bird; Sally Milne, nominated by the Woodland Wellness Centre staff; Lillian Sanderson, nominated by Cheyenne Sanderson.
Under the Education Category
Kristiana Mercredi, nominated by April Moriente; Courtney Tanner, nominated by Karen Sanderson; Kara Hepworth, nominated by her son, Jesse Hepworth.
Under the Sportsmanship category:
Nichole Charles, nominated by Kyle Sephton; and Michelle Charles, nominated by Kyle Sephton.
