(Ottawa, ON) – March 19, 2025 – On this week’s episode of Roots and Hoots, host Gordon Spence is pleased to be joined by two outstanding staff members at the Legacy of Hope Foundation, Tara Devlin and Hannah Vicaire. Tara and Hannah are the Indigenous Community Engagement Officers at LHF and through their work and life experiences, provide impactful workshops to Indigenous communities across Canada. 

In their roles as Community Engagement Officers, Tara and Hannah have travelled to many corners of Canada. Their workshop offerings are twofold. Through Tara’s previous experience in the banking sector, she brings a wealth of knowledge on the topic of financial literacy, providing tips and tricks on how to avoid fraudulent scams and teaching how to have a healthy relationship with money. Hannah is from Listuguj Mi’gmaq Nation and is a powerful young woman who leads cultural reclamation activities in the community workshops by sharing the importance of revitalizing culture through creation. Hannah’s grandmother was a pipe carrier and devoted much of her life to community work which continues to inspire Hannah in her work. These workshops are offered freely, are tailored to community needs and are empowering and connective spaces.

To listen to Indigenous Roots and Hoots please visit: https://bit.ly/rootsnhoots
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Tara and Hannah share many great stories and lessons learned from their travels, along with what they are looking forward to in 2025. Both are humble role models to their families and communities, carrying with them a notion which guides their work to ‘be who you needed’. If you are interested in learning more about their workshop offerings, please contact tdevlin@legacyofhope.ca .

This episode of Roots and Hoots is part of a new series called Staff Voices. As LHF is celebrating its 25th year, the Staff Voices series will help shed light on the important work being done by staff members across departments of the LHF. For staff and volunteers at LHF, their journey to the foundation has been a calling. Through staff experiences of working with FNIM communities, hosting workshops, developing exhibitions or curricula and building strategic partnerships, these interviews are meant to showcase how Reconciliation is being furthered, in real time, through their work.

The LHF is a national, Indigenous-led, charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and Reconciliation in Canada for over 24 years. The LHF’s goal is to educate Canadians about the history and existing intergenerational impacts of the Residential and Day School Systems and subsequent Child Welfare System on Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) Survivors, their descendants, and their communities to address discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, and to promote hope and healing in Canada. The LHF works to encourage Canadians to address discrimination and injustice to contribute to the equity, dignity, and respectful treatment of Indigenous Peoples.

The LHF has 30 educational exhibitions that promote awareness of Indigenous history that are free to borrow and is working on making exhibitions available online. LHF also has curriculums for K-12 and for adults, along with Activity Guides, Workshops, and Training, two Podcast series, all aimed at educating Canadians about Indigenous history and the shared history of Residential and Day Schools, the Child Welfare System, and other colonial acts of oppression. The LHF works to develop empathy and understanding to eliminate ongoing racism against Indigenous Peoples and to foster Reconciliation in Canada.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Teresa Edwards, B.A., LL.B / J.D.
Executive Director and In-House Legal Counsel
Legacy of Hope Foundation
tedwards@legacyofhope.ca