Spring 2026_Changemaker_FINAL - Flipbook - Page 5
Your Impact – Jordan’s Story
Thanks to you, we support grantee partner
organizations across Canada that help women
and gender-diverse people overcome barriers
to jobs, earning income, and building stronger
financial futures.
Blackfoot Family Lodge Society is a multiservice organization supporting Indigenous
women and families in Lethbridge, Alberta. Their
programming shows us that safety is often a first
step to economic security, starting with a home
where women are met with respect, cultural
affirmation, and practical tools for independence.
“I want people to
know that it isn’t
easy, but I do it
to heal for my
kids and myself.
Beading makes
me myself again.
We need this —
our women need
this support.”
– Jordan
For many Indigenous women, the path to
economic stability begins with something
more fundamental than a resume or a
business plan: safety. At Blackfoot Family
Lodge Society, safety is not an abstract
concept. It is built into every program, meal,
gathering, and moment of care.
What she found at the Lodge was safety
through daily routines, community learning,
and being trusted with responsibility and
opportunity. Through the Lodge’s Building
a Sustainable Future for Indigenous Women
program, Jordan began rebuilding not just
skills, but also confidence.
She learned practical competencies like
food preparation, cleaning, organization, and
sewing — all while reconnecting with cultural
practices that affirmed her Indigenous
identity and belonging. In this space,
economic development is not separated from
healing. Women are supported as whole
people. They gather together. They share
meals. They learn. They begin to imagine
futures that once felt unreachable.
Jordan gained skills that opened doors
to employment and self-employment. She
became part of a community where women
support one another, model strength for
their children, and begin to see themselves
beyond surviving into thriving. Jordan’s story
reminds us that economic security starts with
a place where a woman can stand, breathe,
and believe that her future is worth building.
Jordan arrived at Blackfoot Family Lodge
carrying more than uncertainty about her
future. Like many women who come through
the Lodge’s doors, she carried the weight of
instability, disconnection, and systems that
had not made space for her to thrive.
All Photos by Tanya Plonka
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