Williams Lake woman honored

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This year's recipient of the Aboriginal Women in Leadership Distinction Award is Corinne Stone from Williams Lake, B.C. She received the award for her achievements in the field of Health and Healing. The award was presented at the 6th Annual National Aboriginal Women in Leadership Training Conference from Oct. 19 to 22 in Montreal.

Corinne was born in the interior Cariboo Chilcotin of BC. She is of Tsilhqot'in, Secwepemc and European heritage from the Anaham band. She has dedicated her life to the healing of her family and the Aboriginal community.

Stone was born and raised in Williams Lake, attended New Caledonia and Kwantlen Colleges and received certification in Community Development-Healing Ourselves and Our Communities from the University of Lethbridge/Four Worlds Development Training Institute. She continues to upgrade her education when she's not raising her three sons and developing the Tsilhqot'in National Government's Child and Family Services.

In her early adolescence, she began the difficult process of healing as a survivor of sexual abuse, family violence and the legacy of residential school. In the 1980s Stone was instrumental in assisting with the development and implementation of one of B.C.'s first Aboriginal Transition Houses for battered women. She went on to help develop one of Canada's only independent social housing projects for street youth, Swiw'Lus Lam'Chit, which won a national award in 1997.

Stone also assisted in the design, development and implementation of a Native Awareness Parenting Program.