Uniting our community

	Kevin Chief, NDP Candidate for Winnipeg North, with Seven Oaks School Division Trustee Cory Juan, Darlyne Bautista, Executive Member of ANAK (right), and other community members at his Family Fun Day Event held at Maples Community Centre on September 6
	Community Family Fun Day at the Maples Community Centre, September 6, 2010 Photos by Rommel Cueto

by Kevin Chief

On September 6, over 4,000 people of all different cultures came by the Maples Community Centre to celebrate at our Community Family Fun Day. We had over 150 volunteers prepare, organize and hand out over 1,000 halo-halo refreshments, 3,000 hot dogs and endless amounts of cotton candy, ice cream and popcorn to families that were there to take in the amazing entertainment – and more important – to get to know our neighbours. There were so many people, so many smiling faces that I caught a glimpse of what real unity looked like.

It didn’t matter to the Filipino couple waltzing near the stage that they were dancing to a Metis fiddle; nor did it matter to the East Indian family that it was halo-halo they were eating. We were simply too busy celebrating in the spirit of community. And, in my experiences in Winnipeg North and throughout isolated Northern communities, I’ve learned that by coming together, we can overcome almost any obstacle and become stronger in the process.

I hope to hold more celebrations like these in the near future as I continue my day-to-day outreach to learn more about your needs one by one. I want to take this opportunity to greet each and every one of you that I’ve met over this incredible summer. Salamat po sa inyong suporta! (Thank you for your support!)

Kevin Chief is the coordinator for the Innovative Learning Centre at the University of Winnipeg. He is also the Executive Director of the Winnipeg Aboriginal Sport Achievement Centre and the NDP Candidate for Winnipeg North MP.

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