We are happy to announce our Project Coordinator, Dr. Raymond Currie, will be retiring from Circles for Reconciliation effective June 17th, 2022. Raymond ‘s generosity and commitment to the project has been immeasurable; he has been working tirelessly in pursuit of reconciliation, in partnership and dedication to taking action from the TRC report.
In 2015, Raymond read the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Raymond was 82 at the time, retired from a lifetime of working, and felt so inspired by the Final Report that he began imagining what reconciliation in action could look like and spent the next year in consultations with Indigenous groups around Manitoba. This determination and effort resulted in finding partners to start the project. The foundation of equal partnership on all levels has remained a cornerstone of Circles and Raymond has stood by this vision. Circles has continued to grow and expand across Canada, surpassing the initial goal of 100 Circles, and touching the hearts of thousands of Canadians.
(Photo Credit: Grace Schedler, CFR Indigenous Ambassador).
Since the project’s inception in 2015, Raymond has donated 100% of his work pro-bono and inspired many other volunteers to do the same. The work has been no small feat. Donating his work involved over 40 hours per week, working closely with all his partners on tasks including preparing lengthy grant applications, attending stakeholder meetings, providing facilitator training weekends, large scale event planning, virtual consultations, traveling across Manitoba and even to other provinces to introduce Circles and provide facilitator training. Raymond’s home became one of two full-fledged office spaces for Circles; he even welcomed his office assistant into his home to work Monday through Friday.
Retiring once and for all at the age of 88, Raymond looks forward to volunteering at Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence and engaging fellow residents in trivia activities.
Raymond’s time was often consumed seeking funding to continue the work of Circles for Reconciliation. In honour of Raymond’s legacy, we will continue to pursue funding opportunities and appreciate support from our community. As we continue to grow and expand, offering Circles nationally in over 300 communities, we gratefully welcome any and all monetary donations to continue our work towards reconciliation. You can contribute to our project at the following link: Please click here to donate.
This announcement is bittersweet for the Partners, our Staff, Facilitators, volunteers and everyone Raymond’s work has impacted through Circles for Reconciliation. His kindness, generosity and passion will be greatly missed. Thank you for everything and congratulations on all you have accomplished Raymond, we truly wish you well on your retirement journey.
Read Raymond’s retirement announcement letter at this link.