Thundering Ahead Campaign receives big donation from TD Bank
- EFN Staff | February 27, 2017
Wanuskewin's Thundering Ahead Campaign just received a big donation.
TD Bank Group was at Wanuskewin Heritage Park on Saturday to announce its $500,000 constribution.
“Wanuskewin Heritage Park represents an opportunity for all of us at TD to support initiatives that tie into youth education, environmental sustainability and Indigenous arts and culture," says Brian Gervais, Senior Vice President, Prairie Region of TD Bank Group.
“We know that TD Bank Group is committed to helping youth access traditional cultures, and that is one of the mandates of Wanuskewin Heritage Park,” said Wasacase-Lafferty. “This generous donation will help us to continue offering programs that connect youth to arts and culture, environmental teachings and so much more at Wanuskewin.”
The donation will support Wanuskewin’s bold renewal vision. Plans are underway to apply for UNESCO World Heritage designation, introduce exhibit galleries and improve educational offerings, expand the current facility to accommodate larger conferences and meeting groups, renovate the nearly 25-year-old interpretive centre, preserve ecology and biodiversity on the site, and expand the land base to accommodate a small herd of Plains Bison.
Wayne Brownlee, Co-Chair of the Thundering Ahead Capital Campaign and Executive Vice President of PotashCorp stated: “TD Bank is the first national bank to join us on this important initiative. On behalf of the campaign team, we are grateful for their leadership in giving and philanthropy and look forward to a long-term and rewarding partnership.”
Headquartered in Toronto with more than 80,000 employees in offices around the world, the TD Bank Group supports over 4,300 organizations that work to enrich and strengthen our communities. TD Bank Group donates millions of dollars every year to causes that matter to their customers, employees and stakeholders. Wanuskewin Heritage Park represents an opportunity to support initiatives that tie into youth education, environmental sustainability and Indigenous arts and culture.
On February 9, 2017, Wanuskewin launched plans for a $40-Million Capital Campaign to fund a bold renewal based on four pillars:
- To elevate Wanuskewin from the longest-running archaeological project in Canada to an international centre for excellence in education, preservation and interpretation of Indigenous art and culture
- To aspire to world heritage designation through UNESCO, building on Wanuskewin’s existing status as a National Historic Site
- To preserve the ecological island that is Opimihaw Valley and protect the unique ecology and biodiversity of the land as Wanuskewin transitions into an iconic urban park
- To return the majestic bison to Wanuskewin’s plains.
Wanuskewin Heritage Park is located five kilometers north of Saskatoon. It opened in 1992 and has been host to many historic events, including a royal visit in 1986 when Queen Elizabeth II. In December 2016, the Catholic Church announced that an invitation had been extended for Pope Francis to visit Wanuskewin to offer an apology to residential school survivors in Canada.