The Delta School District has received a $7,000 grant from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority for its Giving Tree Project.
This generous grant from the Port Authority, as well as a recent $4,000 grant from Delta Foundation, will enable the school district to move ahead with plans to purchase and install three-foot posts next to the cedar trees planted at every school and district site.
The posts will showcase the design of the Reconciliation Post commissioned and created by Karl Morgan, local Tsawwassen First Nation carver, for the board office in 2019. Visitors to any of the district schools or sites will be able to access the QR code on the post which will take them to an educational video to explain the significance of the cedar trees and the Giving Tree project.
“We hope to hold a ceremony in the fall at the school board office to unveil the new post by the five new cedar trees there if the provincial health orders allow it,” said Diane Jubinville, District Vice Principal, Indigenous Education. “This will be another opportunity to celebrate the success of the Giving Tree Project implemented this year and continue to demonstrate the District’s commitment to Reconciliation. We are extremely grateful to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority for its generosity with this grant.”
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the federal agency responsible for the stewardship of the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port.
“Enabling thriving communities is a key part of our federal mandate as a port authority and we take pride in the programs and initiatives we support to create strong and vibrant communities,” said Dianne Sparrow, manager of Indigenous Relations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. “We are honoured to support the Delta School District’s Giving Tree Project and to continue the important education and recognition of Indigenous culture in our communities.”