Making Orange Shirt Day Possible

It honours the children who never made it home from residential schools, it celebrates survivors, and it acts as a call to action that every child matters.

Orange Shirt Day is recognized across Canada on September 30th, sharing its observance with the federally established National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This has led to an explosion of communities and organizations seeking funding to host events each year, revealing the need for a dedicated and flexible funding source to help ensure these important gatherings can take place.

The Indigenous Ministry office in Thunder Bay is tackling this issue and establishing a $10,000 grant stream to support agencies, schools and churches wishing to hold events on September 30th.  This fund would help cover costs for ceremonies, cultural programs, educational events and other community-led initiatives that honour survivors and foster healing. By creating a dedicated funding stream, the Ministry will ensure that meaningful, culturally grounded events happen without the barriers caused by last-minute planning or resource shortages.

The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) is honoured to support this initiative as it directly reflects its mission to foster healing, uphold dignity and strengthen connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. These events provide spaces for remembrance, education and cultural expression, while encouraging communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation. By investing in this dedicated fund, we help ensure every community and organization can commemorate a day of truth, respect and unity for generations to come.

Diocese of Thunder Bay