Our Mission and Vision

Our Vision:

In the spirit of friendship, RDNFS is committed to a community without need. We embrace and are guided by cultural wisdom and traditional teachings to provide a healthy and safe place of belonging for all people living in Red Deer. RDNFS is a charitable Indigenous agency dedicated to building an empowered community through Asooahum cultural housing, community development and the Indigenous Youth Centre for Success. RDNFS plays an important role in the daily lives of our members by:

Providing cultural teachings and family preservation services for our families, children, our elderly and those in need that promote well-being and assist in the adjustment to life in Red Deer
Creating cultural and spiritual connections to all people to nurture an engaged Indigenous community
Offering referrals for suitable housing, food, clothing, pursuit of education, employment and skill development to improve quality of life for Indigenous people; and
Extending friendship and fostering positive relationships to bring awareness of Indigenous people and culture to all citizens of Red Deer

The four core initiatives our society is committed to:

1. Capacity Building and Sustainability: Provide strong leadership and fiscal management for the Society and community membership to ensure a sustainable future for the organization that includes fundraising for a new Friendship Wellness Centre.

2. Community and Family Supports: Provide culturally based services and programs that respond to the community needs, such as health/ housing/basic needs/referral and advocacy.

3. Youth Programming: Focuses on every aspect of the medicine wheel; emotional, mental, spiritual, physical wellness.

4. Cultural Awareness Initiatives: Promote traditional craft circle/story telling/Indigenous community events/ eldership program all promoting friendship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Red Deer.

Despite these struggles, the Society demonstrated that it could raise enough local support to keep the Centre open for the crucial first year required to gain federal support. In 1985 the Society received their first federal core funding and became a fully-fledged member of the National Native Friendship Centre Movement.

Elder Tom Cranebear created and presented the Red Deer eagle staff to the Friendship Centre for the community at this time. Some early members included Beverly Keeshig- Soonias, Peter Priest, Kim Jernak, Darryl Lickers, Sarah Carr, Lyle Keewatin Richards and Douglas Campbell.

The early days of the Red Deer Friendship Society were modest. There were three staff who focused their efforts on providing a home away from home for Indigenous people and connecting them to each other, the community and local resources. They operated the LaBase program which taught survival, literacy, employment and computer skills. There were no other local Indigenous services and many hopeful newcomers found the only support they received was a bus ticket back to their home reserves.

In the decade since 2000, the Red Deer Native Friendship Society would move several times and continue to work in collaboration with community partners to Chart the Path of urban Indigenous people and respond to issues raised by the community. This process has now resulted in the launch of the Urban Indigenous Voices Initiative in January 2012, a new and unified voice for Red Deers Indigenous community.

It has also created a new vision of particular interest to the Red Deer Native Friendship Society: the vision of a Community Gathering place. A space where community members would enjoy affordable housing, wrap-around support services and cultural and ceremonial events. This dream has been partially realized through a partnership between Municipal Affairs Housing, the City of Red Deer and the Friendship Society. Four acres of land has been set aside by the City of Red Deer for the development of a new Indigenous Cultural Wellness Centre.

We have a new vision: the vision of a Community Gathering place. A space where community members would enjoy affordable housing, wrap-around support services and cultural and ceremonial events.