When Sarah Giona and her children heard the news that the remains of 215 children were found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia they knew they had to do something.
“I was heartbroken. I think hearing and being able to find out exactly what has taken place, we knew it was going to be heartbreaking even before there was proof and I think it just solidified that,” she said. “There’s going to be more to come and that’s what’s so heartbreaking for Canada, for us all to hear. I think this is just the beginning and that’s what’s so troubling about it all, it’s just a horrific story.”
In response, the Newmarket family cut out 215 paper hearts and planted them in their front yard, one for every child who was lost.
“These 215 children needed to be honoured in some sort of way and it was so fitting for my kids to take part in a craft and an activity and be able to do that on our own front lawn,” Giona said.
For her children Cailtin, 12, and Adam, 10, the Newmarket mother said it was an educational opportunity.
The kids had learned about residential schools while in school, and also know the stories through listening to music like Gord Downie’s Secret Path album, so they were able to connect that to what they were hearing on the news, according to Giona, who added that they were still shocked by it.
“The kids were obviously really sad to hear that others their age were denied education, and time with family, and living long lives, it was so heartbreaking and they wanted to do something to be able to show their way of expressing the sadness as well,” she said.
That’s when the family decided to plant their heart garden.
Giona said she got the idea from a campaign called Honouring Memories, Planting Dreams by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. Started in 2015, it encourages Canadians to plant heart gardens in memory of the children lost to the residential school system.
For their heart garden, the family says they spent around four hours on Sunday, May 30 creating and planting the 215 hearts.
“It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, kind of processing what was happening but spending time with family and still honouring those poor kids,” Giona said.
She shared photos of the memorial online, where she said she has received an outpouring of support and heard from some friends who have been inspired to do the same thing.
215 hearts
— Sarah Giona (@sarahgiona) May 31, 2021
Each honouring a child
Their families
Their stolen dreams
Their story
Only 10 of the 94 Calls to Action in the TRC have been completed. We need to do more.
Comfort & healing to all First Nation communities, in particular Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc.#everychildmatters pic.twitter.com/lcYZfSLZSM
While she knows the paper hearts, unfortunately, won’t last forever, she is hoping to take cues from other memorials happening for these children and leave her display out for 215 hours.
Across the country, flags are being flown at half-mast to honour the lives lost at this residential school.
In Newmarket, the flags have been lowered at municipal buildings and will remain that way for 215 hours, one hour for each child, until June 8.
Mayor John Taylor offered his condolences in a statement, “Words cannot describe the intergenerational trauma that so many Indigenous communities have experienced as a result of the residential school legacy. This loss of innocent lives is a reminder that we as a community need to do more to raise awareness of the past, acknowledge the harm that has been done, and work toward a better relationship with Indigenous people and communities. As a town, we will continue to work with our Indigenous partners to do more and to do better.”
Newmarket is located on the traditional territories of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe peoples.
“We honour and acknowledge this land and its people and join other Canadian communities in offering our deepest condolences to all Indigenous communities during this difficult time,” the town’s statement said.
Since putting up her own display, Giona has called on the town to do more.
“What had struck me was that there wasn’t a specific spot that we could go to place a memorial for if we wanted to acknowledge, really it was up to us in our front yards and I would love to be able to see, you know, maybe a permanent fixture in the community,” she said.
She is calling on local MPs and the Town of Newmarket to install a memorial like a flower garden to acknowledge the impact on First Nations communities locally and nationally.
