"Serving Indigenous Communities: My True North Aid Experience"

When, in 2017, Amanda Amesse, our speaker, and her partner raised funds to ship medical supplies and mobility devices to the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority which served communities on the shores of James Bay she needed help. That's when she discovered True North Aid, an organization founded in 2009 serving indigenous communities across Canada's north “through community initiatives and supply programs.” With the support of The Rotary Club of Cataraqui-Kingston she began her journey.

About the Speaker

At the time of her talk, Amanda was the Outreach Manager of True North, a position that began in 2019,. She lives and works in Kingston, Ontario and is a 2018 graduate of St. Lawrence College’s Behavioural Psychology program. She has worked in the non-profit and social services for over 10 years including John Howard Society, the Métis Nation of Ontario, Kingston Interval House, and Addictions and Mental Health Services- KFLA. She has just assumed a new position as Donor Experience Officer with the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area. Amanda’s work with remote communities began in 2017 when she and her partner started an initiative to collect and ship medical supplies and mobility aids to the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and has been involved with True North Aid ever since. Her role as Outreach Manager focused on relationship and capacity building and supporting community-led, and True North Aid projects like Back-To-School and Rollup for the North. Amanda is also an inclusion coach for Kingston Employment and Youth Services, which focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion training. Amanda is also an advisor on the City of Kingston’s Accessibility Standards Committee. She is working on her master’s in Philanthropy and Non-profit Leadership at Carleton University and due to graduate in 2027.