Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
SALVATION ARMY – HOPE IN THE CITY BREAKFAST
RBC Convention Centre
Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 7:30 a.m.
(please check against delivery)
Friends of the Salvation Army and nurturers of hope, it’s a pleasure to join you for this inspirational breakfast and launch of your kettle campaign.
I would like first to acknowledge that we are gathered in the heart of Treaty One land and the heartland of the Red River Metis.
As we come together to create a more caring and supportive community in Manitoba, we recognize that this province is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Metis peoples.
As the days get longer, and the nights get colder, the Salvation Army has given us the opportunity to brighten and warm up our city by caring for our community’s most vulnerable citizens. They may be our family, our neighbours, our friends.
I recently had the privilege of touring the Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope and was able to see first hand the level of care and compassion demonstrated on an ongoing basis.
By supporting the Salvation Army’s kettle campaign, and the dedicated staff and volunteers who ensure it’s success year after year, we can all play a role in creating hope in the city – and beyond.
The name of this annual event brings to mind perhaps the most famous poem by Emily Dickinson.
“Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all.“
The image of that poem – hope as a singing bird – seems so appropriate, especially in Manitoba. Who among us has not been cheered up on a cold winter day by the sight of a brave little chickadee, chirping in a tree, reminding us that spring will eventually come?
Each of us has that thing with feathers perched in our soul. Through acts of kindness, through the affirmation of the worth and dignity of all, the Salvation Army works to keep that little bird singing.
And attending this breakfast and hearing the story of today’s special guest, Joe Roberts, will warm up the bird of hope inside you.
Thank you to all the members, supporters and volunteers of the Salvation Army who have made this morning and this year’s campaign possible. May it continue to support positive change in lives across this city and province.
Thank you. Merci. Meegwich.
