Orange shirt fundraiser raises money for reconciliation programs, celebrates Indigenous artists

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — SJA Promo is selling orange shirts designed by Indigenous artists from Northern BC to fundraise for CLIC’s reconcili-action programs in Fort St. John. 

The designs were commissioned and the fundraiser was planned in anticipation of Orange Shirt Day on September 30th, which honours survivors of the residential school system in Canada.

Three different artists created three designs for the shirts this year: Alisa Froh, Kym Gouchie and Kipper Pokiak.

Froh designed a shirt for SJA Promo’s previous orange shirt fundraiser and returned with a different pattern, incorporating flowers, inspired by her childhood and her first jingle dress, into her “every child matters” design.

Musician and artist with roots in several First Nations, Gouchie, also crafted one of the shirts featured this year: her design, called “Brother Fawn,” represents children and their innocence, vulnerability, and resilience.

The third pattern was created by Pokiak, a 15-year-old local Inuvialuk artist, who was inspired by the stories his grandmother told of her experience in residential schools. 

“My grandmother talked a lot about how there were no bright colours at residential school,” says Pokiak, “so I went with a vibrant colour for my design.”

SJA Promo organized the fundraiser for CLIC, or the Cultural Learning and Innovation Circle, a non-profit in Fort St. John.

CLIC runs reconcili-action programming that will be funded in part from the proceeds of the project.

“These are a series of meetings and trainings about reconciliation, and we are looking forward to being able to bring the community together and train people and explain and share a little bit of the history, the culture, and how we can work together for a better future,” Juliana Schmidt, community engagement volunteer with CLIC, said. 

“So it’s a way to not only share content but also to be hands-on and experience firsthand a little bit more about the culture and history of Indigenous peoples,” she continued.

CLIC’s reconcili-action programs were born out of a realization that few resources were available to people in the Peace region who wanted to put the calls of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee into action, according to CLIC’s executive director, Russ Beerling.

“The funds raised through the sale of these items help ensure these programs are accessible and responsive to the needs of the community,” he continued.

Shirts can be purchased via an online store and be ready for pickup within three days, according to L.J. Lawson with SJA Promo.