Renewal of Old St. Thomas: Local Business Leaders Help Kickstart the Regional Fundraising Appeal at the 2026 Moose Cree Gathering

The Regional Appeal of the Šawelihcikewin Fundraising Campaign, for the restoration of Moose Factory's historic Old St. Thomas, received a huge boost from local business leaders during Moose Cree First Nation's annual Gathering of Our People last week. Five businesses, three of them represented in the photo below, have donated or pledged over $20K (cash and in-kind) towards the $150K Regional Appeal Goal: Moose Cree Group of Companies, GG's Corner, Bertha's, Innlink Concrete, and Cree-ative Waste Management Systems Inc.

L-R: Elliott Schimmens, Moose Cree Councillor and Council-appointed member of the Moose Cree Group of Companies (MCGC) Board of Directors; Leonard Rickard, CEO of MCGC; Caroline Innes, co-owner and Business Manager of Innlink Concrete Ltd and Šawelihcikewin Ambassador for the Restoration of Old St. Thomas; Bertha and George Lazarus, co-owners of Bertha's; Norman Hardisty, former Chief of MCFN and Šawelihcikewin Ambassador for the Restoration of Old St. Thomas; Cecil Chabot, Executive Director of the MRHHA.

The Šawelihcikewin Fundraising Campaign for the Renewal of Old St. Thomas is divided into a number of different Appeals that aim to fundraise a total of $3.2M, of which more than $1.2M has already been raised. The goal is to reach the $2.5M mark by Christmas so that a contractor can be hired to start work next year on renewing Old St. Thomas and transforming it into a multi-use community centre for traditional and new uses that are consistent with its heritage. The focus will be on creating a space for programming that strengthens families, art, culture and language. It will also provide a boost for the renewal of tourism and serve as a catalyst for a larger vision of restoring heritage buildings to serve the community.

Regional Appeal Co-Chairs, Carrie Wapachee and Ann Wesley emphasize that the donations they are seeking from local business, families and individuals, may represent a small part of the total fundraising goal, but they are key to securing support from major donors, because they show community support. Ann says these smaller donations are like the minors that attracted the big fish! Carrie is collecting donations of art and crafts for a Silent Auction to be held in November, and she has been surprised by the generosity of people in and beyond the community. They invite everyone to get engaged!

You can find out more about the project, the Regional Appeal, and how you can help by clicking here.