(Pictured above, representatives from the Sagitawa Friendship Centre and Councillors Byron Schamehorn and Colin Needham are pictured in front of the former Al-Adair Recreation Centre.)
Al Adair Centre Turned Over to Sagitawa Friendship Society
Posted June 7, 2021
Peace River’s Al Adair Recreation Centre has been formally turned over to the Sagitawa Friendship Society.
Over its lifespan, the Al Adair building has been a high school, a recreation centre, and a community landmark. As it moves into the next phase of its life – under the care and control of the Sagitawa Friendship Society – the Town of Peace River is excited for the next chapter in this storied building.
In 2019 the Town of Peace River began searching for a long-term caretaker for the building. In May of 2020, the process was expanded with a request for proposals (RFP) issued to give community groups an opportunity to decide its future. The RFP was open for 11 weeks and allowed the Sagitawa Friendship Society to bring forward its vision for consideration. In March of 2021 Town Council voted to formally begin the process of transferring ownership of the building to the Sagitawa Friendship Society.
Information below is provided by the Sagitawa Friendship Centre
The Sagitawa Friendship Society has been an Indigenous Service Provider in Peace River since 1964. Over that time, we have worked to develop programs and diversified to meet the increasing and changing needs of our community.
Our vision for the Al Adair Recreation Centre is to consolidate all of our programs and services into a single facility to better meet the needs of the community. The building provides ample space, in the downtown core to help us achieve our goal of being a cultural hub in our community that acts as a safe place for all people to access services.
We plan to utilize the entire building by having all of our programming under one roof. We currently offer the following programs:
- Ground Level Youth Centre: Youth ages 10-29 years enjoy a wide variety of programs.
- Strengthening the Family Circle: Providing support and advocacy for families.
- Building Better Babies: Prenatal and postnatal supports for new parents.
- Filling Our Tipis- Youth Mental Health Program: Providing support around mental health and holistic wellness to youth and their families using traditional teachings.
- Circle of Life- Cancer Prevention: Support for cancer survivors and individuals that are currently going through cancer treatment.
- OSSI- Outreach Support Services Initiative: Addressing youth homelessness and family reunification.
- Charley’s Good Food Box provides participants access to fresh produce, fruit, and dairy for a small fee.
- Youth Employment Program: Employment readiness programming for youth. Includes youth gaining work experience through employment at Golfworld during the summer months.
- NIHA- Northern Indigenous Health Alliance: Support for individuals living with HIV, STI’s and Hepatitis. Includes connection to culture, education, awareness, and preventative programming.
- Out of the Cold Shelter: Providing a safe place to sleep for anyone in need. Meals, access to laundry facilities and referrals are also provided.
- Education: Cultural/Historical Awareness and Training programs
- Culture: Ceremony, Medicine Wheel Teachings, Traditional Teachings and Protocols.
- Employment and referral services: Career workshops, job search and connections to the community.
Acquiring the Al Adair Rec Centre will also enable us to grow and offer more programming to the community. Additionally, we plan to renovate the racketball courts into a cultural space where we can host ceremony and cultural events for the community.
We are extremely grateful to the Town of Peace River for donating the Al Adair Rec Centre to our organization and for their continued support of the Sagitawa Friendship Society.