(Ottawa, ON) July 14, 2020 – The Legacy of Hope Foundation (LHF) is pleased to announce the exhibition, Escaping Residential Schools: Running for their Lives, is now available through an animated virtual video, along with the Survivors’ video testimonies.

“I am beyond amazed at how well and effective the LHF Team were able to adapt to these challenging times. The LHF’s work ethic hasn’t slowed and we have continued to produce quality exhibitions and educational resources.” stated LHF Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel, Teresa Edwards.

Along with a 360^o animated video, the LHF has curated this Exhibition to share Survivors’ Testimonies about their experiences, and of others who attended Residential School. We explored the attempts that children made to escape the abuse so that we could demonstrate the courage, resistance and agency of these Indigenous youth.

It is our intention to commemorate, to raise awareness, and to honour the memory of the many Indigenous children who lost their lives while attending Residential Schools or while trying to flee from them. This exhibition gives a voice to seven Indigenous Survivors of the Residential School System who either escaped the school and survived to share their Testimony, or who are sharing a story to give voice to someone who did not survive, or went missing from the school.

LHF would like to acknowledge and thank all the Survivors who had the courage to share their Testimonies:  Bernadette Dean, Jackie Hookimaw-Witt, Madelaine Kioke, Lynda McDonald, Gerri Sharpe, Gordon Spence, and Margaret Ward Barnaby. Both their individual Testimony and the Exhibition virtual animation are available on the Legacy of Hope Foundation website: www.legacyofhope.ca/escapingrs

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness on the many injustices indigenous children experienced in Residential School(s), and to have Canadians acknowledge that many children died while attending these schools; that many children remain missing; that there are known and unknown cemeteries and burial locations; that there are many unanswered questions; and that families and communities deserve these answers to be able to move towards healing and closure.

For more information on the project, please visit: https://legacyofhope.ca/project/escapingrs/

The LHF is a national Indigenous charitable organization whose purposes are to educate, raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of Residential Schools, including the Sixties Scoop and the intergenerational harms caused to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. LHF aims to support the ongoing healing process of Survivors and their families and to work with Canadians to take action to address racism and discrimination in order to promote equality and to foster Reconciliation.

For more information on the Legacy of Hope Foundation, visit www.legacyofhope.ca.

For media inquiries:
Teresa Edwards, B.A. JD.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Phone:  613-237-4806 Ext. 303 info@legacyofhope.ca