The June Second Sunday donation will go to the Lhaq’temish Foundation of the Lummi Nation. The mission of the Foundation is “Nilh Xwenang Tse Schelangen Etse Nexw Xwelemi” (This is our way of life in Lummi). It aims “to nurture a healthy, giving and prosperous community” through cultural, social and economic abundance. It supports social, educational and cultural programs and services for the Lummi community made up of 5,000 members.
It raises and administers funds for a number of community-based programs, special initiatives and projects on the reservation to improve quality of life and promote culture and civic renewal. These include the Lummi Venture Partnership, Paddle to Lummi 2007 and 2019, House of Tears Carvers, the Totem Pole journeys, Lummi Youth Canoe Family and Wellness Center, Lummi Youth Academy, Lummi Youth Basketball Tournament, and Natural Resources Enhancement projects, among other programs.
The Foundation provides services to address the unmet needs of veterans, elders, youth and families. For example, it sponsored a relatively new program, Lummi Stepping Stones, in 2016 to address the needs of homeless members on and off the reservation. Since that time, about 60 men, women and children were housed in two shelters and they aim to build 100 tiny homes.
Education and training programs have addressed different community needs. They range from training in financial literacy, entrepreneurship and small business development to support for youth education. The Foundation supports traditional teachings for youth around song and dance, storytelling, arts and crafts, fishing and harvesting and language revitalization. It sponsors canoe clubs and races, health and wellness programs for youth and community events.
It supports the Totem Pole journeys as a way to raise awareness of the threats to native and non-native communities posed by the export of coal, oil and fossil fuel shipment and storage across Canada and the Pacific Northwest. These totem pole journeys also galvanize and solidify alliances with other tribes, faith-based groups and communities and nongovernmental organizations to preserve sacred lands and secure environmental justice.
Your donation to Lhaq’temish Foundation as part of East Shore’s Second Sunday collection will support these and other programs and initiatives.