Surrey gets a friendship centre

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Establishing a friendship centre is not an easy task, but the members of the Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society know how to do it. Many years of fundraising activities and strategy meetings in the Surrey area east of Vancouver are about to pay off.

Sue Hammell, director of the cultural society, explained that it's a long way either to Mission or to Vancouver where the closest friendship centres presently operate.

"Surrey is a growing city, largely because housing costs are lower than in the Vancouver area. The ever-increasing numbers of residents include a large population of Aboriginal people," she said. Although Surrey has not had a friendship centre up until now, that doesn't mean there were no Native programs available. The Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society, which has been in existence for seven years, has done a great job of offering many services and programs, including early childhood development, youth programs, recreational and cultural groups, and an Aboriginal healing program.

"But the society feels we have matured enough to become part of the friendship centre association, and the community wants us to become a member. It's a natural evolution," Hammell said.

Once the group is granted official designation as a friendship centre, it becomes a partner in the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, which has 24 other members, and the National Association of Friendship Centres.

The Surrey Aboriginal Cultural Society has existed through program funding, Hammel explained.

"Each program we have offered is supported through federal government or provincial ministries, so we've been able to serve our members quite well to date, and it's how we've developed our society. We have a great volunteer base, a dedicated board of directors, and a willing staff who have made it all possible."

The cultural society is moving into a larger building in Surrey's north end in the next few weeks, which will house the new friendship centre and accommodate more programs.

The cultural society has held regular fund-raising activities throughout the years, which have helped pay for their larger accommodations and program expansion. One of the biggest events is an annual gala, held last year on Nov. 29.

"A dinner, a silent auction, and an evening of entertainment was well attended and enjoyed. As always, we received many generous donations from local artists, and entertainers took travel expenses only," said Hammell.

The Le-La-Lala traditional dancers were joined by a flute player, Metis jiggers, and another dance group, the Traditional Mothers, to provide lively entertainment.

A great variety of food was offered, with samples provided by all the First Nations present.

Surrey's corporate community supported the cultural society's fundraising ventures, as sponsorship came from B.C. Hydro, Global TV, and The Now newspaper, to name just a few.

The cultural society hosts a powwow at the Cloverdale Rodeo in the spring and a salmon festival in the fall, as well as numerous other local events throughout the year.

"We've been responding to the traditional needs of the community through our programs as well as through our cultural offerings, and fund-raising has been realized as well," said Hammell.

In the early years, friendship centres were primarily perceived as places where Aboriginal people could drop in and have a cup of coffee, socialize, receive emotional support, and get a referral to social service agencies as needed.

"As friendship centres became established in their communities and gained acceptance with service agencies and the community at large, a trend emerged in the mid-1970s which saw Aboriginal people being referred from agencies to the centres," Hammell said. A number of client-based services in the areas of employment, substance abuse, family support, legal services and cultural retention began to be provided. Today, in an era marked by continuing high unemployment rates, cutbacks in governmentspending and general economic uncertainty, friendship centres play an even more important role in the Aboriginal community.

"We are excited about the possibilities that the future can bring us," said Hammell. "As we move into our new building, and add the friendship centre designation to our name, we'll be better able to serve our community."