Orange Shirt Day: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is on September 30, also known as Orange Shirt Day. It is a day to honour the children who never made it home from residential schools, as well as those who survived.  

We are excited to share a meaningful initiative that reflects our commitment to honouring this important day. We have collaborated with a local Indigenous artist to create a one-of-a-kind orange shirt, symbolizing our respect and recognition of the ongoing journey toward truth and reconciliation. 

A portion of the funds raised will go directly to our First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Health Services Scholarship, furthering our longtime commitment to collaborating with Indigenous communities and aiming to improve health care and services for Indigenous communities across Canada. Read more about the scholarship here  

About the Artist 

We’ve partnered with Jessica Somers of Lavigne, Ontario. Jessica Somers was born in Sudbury Ontario and is of Abenakis and Metis decent. She is greatly influenced by her grandmother who enjoyed creating scenic and wildlife paintings. Her father’s passion for carpentry and his hard work ethics and determination are what attributed to her success as an artist today. Read more about the artist here 

The T-shirt 

We are honoured to work with artist Jessica Somers, to craft a meaningful and unique Orange shirt design specifically for SE Health.  

The shirt was printed by SK Group located in Sault. Ste Marie, Ontario. SK Group is a non-Indigenous printing and screen company; however they are allies and work closely with Indigenous community members in their geographical location. https://www.skgroupinc.com/  

By purchasing the SE Orange Shirt, you are helping raise awareness of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and support the SE Health First Nations, Inuit and Métis Program Health Services Scholarship.