Legion-hosted concert will benefit residential school survivor fund, raise awareness

October 21, 2021 · 0 Comments

The sounds of the Tragically Hip will echo through the Aurora branch of the Royal Canadian Legion this Saturday for Rockin’ for ReconciliACTION, a concert benefiting the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund.

Fronting the concert will be local cover band Tangent, who will dedicate all proceeds evenly between the Fund, which aims to provide education on the legacy of Residential Schools and “improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada,” as well as the Legion, which has served veterans locally for more than 75 years.

“We have been involved with the Legion for a few events and in times of COVID we stalled and couldn’t have an event,” says Tangent’s Jim Grassie. “With things opening up, the conversation started about getting back in and one of the caveats for the Legion is they like hosting fundraisers.”

Fellow Tangent musician Scott Reid had just the organization in mind to raise funds for.

“With all the talk around residential schools, reconciliation and everything going on – and us being a rock band and fans of the Tragically Hip, we thought we would do a joint fundraiser with the Downie Wenjack Fund and the Aurora Legion,” says Reid.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund is the living legacy of the Tragically Hip frontman who lost his battle with glioblastoma in 2017.

Dedicated to improving the lives of Canada’s First Peoples, it was inspired by the story of Chanie Wenjack, an Anishinaabe boy who ran away from a residential school in Kenora in 1966 to re-find his family, succumbing to starvation and exposure little over a week after he ran.

A year before Downie’s death, the museum sparked a conversation across the country on Indigenous-Settler relations, challenging people to “do something” to improve these relationships, and this is the work the foundation continues.

“Downie has always been a storyteller and there is a saying that history is written by the winners,” says Grassie. “Well, it is being rewritten now and things are coming to light that need to be shared.”

Adds Reid, “I love [the Fund’s] hashtag #dosomething because Gord said, ‘I don’t know what you can do, but you can do something.’”

When Tangent approached the Legion for the joint fundraiser, it was music to their ears – both as beneficiaries of part of the proceeds and as individuals with an active interest in “doing something” for the Indigenous community as well.

“The Downie Wenjack Fund is one of the funds you know that when you donate money, it is 100 per cent safe and it will help people,” says the Legion’s Nancy Gradeen. “My heart goes out to them. I have been following this type of situation since I was six to 10 years old. My daughter is involved with that up near North Bay and I want to get this across to people: by coming to the concert you have three things involved: the Fund, the Legion, and Tangent. You can’t go wrong!

“It’s not just the music of Gord Downie, but what he stood for. Sometimes it takes a place like the Legion to talk about their Fund and to get people to possibly help out or donate themselves. We could just be the starting point for many people who see it on social media, who come to our Legion, who don’t know about this. Now they are going to learn about the fund and there are so many learning opportunities for people. It can’t just stop here. There are so many different areas we could also help to make a difference, whether it is writing, fundraising, anything to keep the education going.”

Tickets are on sale now for Rockin’ for ReconciliACTION on Saturday, October 23, by calling the Legion at 905-727-5642 or online via www.neighbur.com/view-event/1719. Tickets are $10 in advance by October 22 or $15 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. with an 8.30 showtime. All COVID protocols will be in place, including proof of vaccination requirements.

For more on the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, visit downiewenjack.ca.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter