By Kayla Bruch

P.A. woman raises awareness through fundraiser

Feb 28, 2015 | 2:55 PM

One Prince Albert resident is striving to raise public awareness about missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Donna L. Soles has worked with the Indian and Métis Friendship Centre in Prince Albert for 15 years. Being a Cree woman, Soles said preventing the kidnappings and murders of aboriginal women is a cause that is very close to her heart.

“The young guys can’t use the women, we’re not tools and we’re not to be beat on or anything, they need to respect the women,” Soles said.

She wants to teach girls to stand up for themselves. “When you say no, it means no.”

On Saturday, Soles hosted a flea market/fundraiser at the centre, only asking the vendors for a $10 booth rental fee. 

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The market had a variety of products for sale, including food hampers, silent auction items, door prizes, jewelry, clothes, baked goods and gift baskets.

The goal was to raise money towards a workshop, candlelight vigil and walk in Prince Albert, which will be held from Oct. 2-4, which Soles has been a part of for seven years.

“When we do vigils…then [families] come and then we have elders to speak to them,” she said. “It’s kind of a grieving workshop at the same time and they make the little dolls and that kind of helps them, you know, feel better.”

Soles, is planning to host a similar sale in August. She says without the money from these fundraisers she wouldn’t be able to afford the supplies needed for the felt dolls, which she says is a vital part of the vigil.

“I need to buy material [be]cause I do all this stuff for free, I don’t I don’t get paid for it, so it’s volunt[ary],” she said.

Last year, a Winnipeg artist in Saskatoon displayed red dresses to honour missing and murdered women and Regina artists created vamps; Soles said she wants Prince Albert to be part of the movement.

“It’s [nation-wide] and now it’s [international], so a lot of people are getting to know about the murdered and missing women across Canada,” she said. “[The dolls] represent each girl that is missing across Canada and … they’re not all in the database and some of them are not reported [because]…they just don’t want to go and report, to go through that trauma again.”

It’s all about keeping the girls safe, said Soles, and this begins with educating girls about trust.

“[You have to] teach the younger girls to not hitchhike because you never know who will pick you up,” she said. “A lot of people stereotype and say it’s just street people that are always getting killed … some [are], but some are just young girls hitchhiking and they don’t think [anything about] it.”

kbruch@panow.com

On Twitter:@KaylaBruch1