There are 150 known Splatsin members who attended residential schools over the decades.
Of those, 45 remain.
To honour those who survived, and remember those who did not, the First Nations are walking Saturday.
Splatsin invites everyone to the annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also called the Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30.
“This day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities,” said coordinator Donna Felix. “This honoring is a vital part of reconciliation process.”
Participants will meet at the Enderby Chamber of Commerce building (702 Railway St.) at 10 a.m. and proceed to the Splatsin Community Centre.
Following the walk, there will be an honouring ceremony of the Splatsin survivors, music and lunch will be provided.
Orange Shirts will be available for purchase prior to the walk.
The Splatsin Tsm7aksaltn (Teaching Centre) Society has been selling orange T-shirts for the past three years and has raised over $10,000.
All profits from these shirts go towards the Splatsin Monument to commemorate those who went to residential school and those who did not come home.
Artist Tania Willard has been contracted to design and construct the monument, with work expected to commence this year.
You can purchase the shirts before Sept. 30 from three Enderby locations:
• Teaching Centre (youth and adult sizes), 2730 Canyon Rd.
• Quilakwa Canco (adult) 5655 Highway 97A.
• Soapolallie Soapworks (youth and adult) 611 Cliff Ave.
The T-shirts will also be on sale at the Enderby Farmers Market (downtown on Cliff Avenue) Friday, Sept. 29.
You can also purchase one at 9 a.m. on Sept. 30 outside the Enderby Info Centre.
Cash donations will also be accepted for the Splatsin Monument.
The walk will see orange bracelets given away in memory of Lyndsey Leon, who was the main organizer of this event for the past four years.
“This was a cause that was near and dear to her heart,” said Deanna Cook, centre executive director, as Leon organized events in Enderby and Salmon Arm. “There is a monarch butterfly on every bracelet to remember her and her hard work in past years.”
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