For the past 30 years, Hannah Fryters has saved every news article related to the Jubilation program. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community programming

Support program in P.A. for young women in need and the homeless comes to tearful end

Jan 11, 2024 | 1:00 PM

Wiping away tears, Hannah Fryters sat at her kitchen table and acknowledged it’s not easy letting go of a program she and her husband have run for over 30 years.

Jubilation, which provided support to pregnant teens, unwed moms, and Prince Albert’s homeless, while also helping create the Seniors Advocacy Centre, has ended due to a lack of funding and volunteers to take it over.

“It’s almost like when you have a family, and one of your children gets married and you have an empty nest, that’s how it feels. You cry,” Fryters explained, inviting paNOW to her home to talk about the program.

The Jubilation Residential Centre started in 1990 and housed as many as 10 moms and their babies. Noting the variety of backgrounds the girls came from, Fryters, who also handled the cooking and preparation of the meals, said prayers were conducted in English and Cree.

A picture taken at the time of the original residential centre’s opening in 1990. (Submitted/ Hannah Fryters)

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As a result of the support they received, many of the young women have come back later in life and thanked Fryters. Noting numerous weddings or even funerals she and her husband have been asked over the years to attend at various communities across the north, Fryters said she most enjoyed meeting the children who were at one time just babies.

“Now 15, 16, 20 years, they came and said oh Kokum, it was just so awesome,” she said, adding she was also proud of the fact that some of the women she helped went on to become councillors in their home community, police officers, or even teachers

Noting a need to take care of her husband, Fryters – who is also in her 70s – explained she was simply unable to continue. When no other volunteers came on board, Jubilation’s board of directors made the tough decision to shut down.

“We were always open for someone in need. The moms went daily to school to finish their educations. We had volunteers from churches coming in and cared for the babies. The girls helped with house chores and cooking. All knew how to make bannock, so we had it often and it was so good,” Fryters recalled.

Following the sale and closure of the Jubilation Residential Centre in late 1993 and then a lengthy stay at the Family Church building on First Ave. E., Fryters has for the past few years been continuing the program out of her own home and would meet the women for coffee or sit with them in court.

When asked what drove her to do the work, even when facing resistance from some of the women who could not reach out for support or trust, Fryters explained she too was once a single mother and as a young girl growing up in Germany was also exposed to abuse while living at a Residential School.

“I could relate to them and I opened up to the girls quite frankly”, she said

After leaving their original home, the Jubilation was welcomed with open arms by the Family Church. (File photo/ paNOW Staff)

In addition to their work with the young women, Jubilation had many other programs including working closely with the homeless, helping them find jobs and housing.

Jubilation also assisted the elderly and offered exercise or meal programs. They also helped with filling out government papers and went on outings with buses. The Seniors Advocacy Centre, a non-profit charitable organization, was started in January 2014.

“We always had an ear to listen to what is very important,” Fryters explained. “It was busy, the phone rang and rang. The seniors were in need of help. We hired a person to help and the job was always done.”

Going forward, Frysters said agencies such as the YWCA have done a great job offering similar support services to young women in need, but added if her phone rings and someone just needs someone else to listen, she will still be there.

nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell