Celebrate Mother’s Day and Jordan’s Principle with Teddy Bear Tea Party

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — With Mother’s Day around the corner, local families can celebrate their matriarchs with some tea and a teddy bear, courtesy of the Fort St. John Friendship Society.

Scheduled for May 10th, the inaugural Teddy Bear Tea Party promises fun and games, prizes and afternoon tea service with food and refreshments.

The date is scheduled for Bear Witness Day, the anniversary of a historic ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal regarding care for Indigenous children.

It was named after Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations boy from Manitoba born in 1999 with Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome, a rare muscular disorder.  

While he was cleared to live in a family home, a disagreement between the federal and provincial governments over the cost of his care led to Anderson dying in the hospital at the age of five in 2005, having never lived with his family.

Jordan’s Principle, requiring First Nations children get medical care they need, stems from the aftermath of the young child’s death the First Nations Child and Family Care Society (FNCFCS) implementing the Spirit Bear plan, with Spirit Bear being the mascot for the cause.

Every May 10th, Indigenous communities across Canada ‘bear witness’ to Jordan’s Principle being implemented, according to Brandi Kennedy of the Friendship Society.

Kennedy serves as the health and wellness coordinator of the Fort St. John Friendship Society and is the organizer of the event.

“Spirit Bear was created to be a representative for Jordan and for all the children that [the FNCFCS] is trying to help,” said Kennedy. “So we thought we would celebrate his 20th birthday and have a tea party and make it a really positive, fun event for kids and their parents or mothers.

“This event is going to be about families coming together and uniting and having a fun time with Spirit Bear.”

Tickets for the Teddy Bear Tea Party are $10, with registration required at the Friendship Society’s office at 10208 95 Avenue in Fort St. John, with the admission of teddy bears encouraged at no charge.

The Teddy Bear Tea Party will occur on Saturday, May 10th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.