Forty years of working in partnership with smaller communities across Canada.
Between last and this year alone we were as busy as ever in the construction and/or renovation of 100 homes in northern Ontario, in smaller communities north of the French River and north of the Nipissing boundary. As an aboriginal voluntary service, we have focused on Canada's number one social priority among the first citizens: the overwhelming need for affordable housing. We have had volunteers from seventeen aboriginal nations and seventy-three countries from the four directions. Thus our strength lies in our Operation Beaver volunteers.
Operation Beaver, a "made in Canada" voluntary service program, has been in existence since 1964 and active internationally since 1969. We support the vision of the human family honouring the Great Spirit. Our mission is to implement the enduring relief of human poverty in Canada and overseas in tangible advancement projects. However, this vision might need to be amended and, if so, should be reflected according to the kind of voluntary service mandate and direction we want to support in the future.
Many changes have occurred over the years, from the early Operation Beaver program under which many houses were built or renovated. "Fronfound" was the cable I.D. used by Frontiers Foundation well before I came to Canada. With the advent of the internet, communications have changed dramatically in the last years. Our current web page is: www.frontiersfoundation.ca. Ten years ago we began evolving and developing our education program in the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories aimed at helping Dene and Inuit school children with the "three Rs" Now, nearly 90% of housing volunteers come from the host communities, but we are still recruiting volunteers from overseas. However, it is becoming more and more difficult for those who would like to volunteer in Canada's north due to the new international order and security requirements in applying for visas.
From a perceived evangelical background, because it had the blessing of the Canadian Council of Churches, Frontiers Foundation became a secular aboriginal voluntary service organization. In 2001, the Board of Directors adopted a new logo with a profound significance for our Native identity. It represents East, South, West, North; summer, fall, winter, spring; yellow, red, white, black; tobacco, sage, cedar, sweet grass; past, present, future, after life. This means we can accept volunteers from across the country, overseas and all walks of life and faiths. In the future we envision that our aboriginal voluntary service organization will become an opportunity to volunteer for all seasons. Past Operation Beaver volunteer can pledge to support Frontiers Foundation through annual donations, bequests, and/or promoting the cause of voluntary service.
Over these years, we did what we could do both in Canada and overseas in addressing domestic and global challenges. We feel we are doing what this multicultural country is all about. I would like to thank our friends and supporters for their financial support, and our Operation Beaver volunteers for their time, energy and enthusiasm. They are the backbone of Canada's largest and longest serving aboriginal voluntary service organization.
I invite you to walk with us for the next forty years.
[Photo: Operation Beaver volunteers, Parry Island, ON, 1972. L to R: K.O. Baadu, Conrad King, Ben vanden Bosch, Henri Stref, Ken Tabobondung, Ridie Wilson, Mike, Danny and Gary Tabobondung.]
Marco A. Guzman is the Executive Director of Frontiers Foundation.