MBC News file photo
The generosity of Norfolk County residents is making a meaningful difference in one of Ontario’s most remote communities.
Jim and Marjorie Dawson have spent more than 15 years travelling to Pikangikum First Nation, a fly-in community in northwestern Ontario, where they support outdoor education, music programs and initiatives designed to help keep children in school. This year’s visit also delivered an outpouring of local generosity, led by a donation from Simcoe business My Top Drawer.
The Dawsons’ connection to Pikangikum began more than 25 years ago during a canoe trip, when they noticed something unusual.
Jim adds at that point, the couple didn’t know much about residential schools or the challenges facing First Nations communities. A few years later, the Rotary Club started asking how they could build a meaningful relationship with a First Nation community, and we realized we already had a connection with Pikangikum.
They returned to ask community leaders how they could help, they expected to work on water projects. Instead, they received a different request.
The Dawsons continue to visit the remote community, helping wherever they can, and say they are constantly amazed by the generosity of Norfolk County residents. Before this year’s trip, Marjorie received an unexpected email from My Top Drawer with a unique offer.
The donations were welcomed by the community’s health authority, where they will be included in care packages for new mothers, support women staying at a new family lodge and be available for students who need them at school.
Marjorie says the panties created an unforgettable moment when they arrived.
The couple also delivered a box of young adult books donated by Beach Reads Bookshop in Port Dover. With no public library, no school library and nowhere in the community to buy books, students eagerly gathered around the new reading material.
Looking ahead, the Dawsons hope to raise enough money this fall to provide every Grade 4 student in Pikangikum with a brand-new book to call their own.
Anyone interested in supporting the project can contact the Rotary Club of Norfolk Sunrise. For the Dawsons, every donation, whether it’s books, clothing or financial support, helps strengthen the connection between Norfolk County and a community hundreds of kilometres away while giving children and families opportunities many people take for granted.
Written by Jeremy Hall
