Loving our Community Well - Bonnie Lepine Antoine

We are so excited to introduce Bonnie Lepine Antoine to you. Bonnie attends Kamloops Alliance Church. She is proud of her Metis heritage and shares so much wisdom and knowledge about her story, her upbringing, and her faith.Originally form Victoria, BC and Québec City, Bonnie has been living on the traditional territory of the Secwepemc people for the past 14 years. She is a member of the Métis Nation and her ancestral people are from Batoche, SK. She is married to Kukpi7 (Chief) Frank Antoine of the Bonaparte Indian Band of Cache Creek. They have three beautiful children: Séquoia, Maya, and Riel. Their youngest, Riel, recently underwent cancer treatment over the past two years at BC Children's hospital, and in this podcast, she talks about her fears and how her son's journey deepened her faith is Christ. Bonnie's sports-minded family spends a lot of time in the rinks and on the field. She believes that sports are a therapeutic way to heal, and sports have allowed her to remain focused most of her life. Bonnie is a passionate teacher with the Francophone School District of BC, teaching grade six through eight. She is passionate about Aboriginal Education and has previously been the District Resource Teacher for many years. In this episode, Bonnie and Chris talk about what it looks like to love our community well. She shares her journey with God and her hard work to educate her children about their Indigenous culture. She shares the importance of partnering with our Indigenous communities so we as a community can learn from their perspective, and at end of the podcast, she sheds light on the recent discoveries at the Kamloops Residential School where 215 unmarked graves were found.  We are so appreciative of Bonnie for her authenticity and bravery as she shares her heart, her past, her current struggles, and her hope for Indigenous people in Kamloops, and in Canada.