Our 2024 Anishinabek Evening of Excellence was held on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at Casino Rama Resort.
About the Anishinabek Evening of Excellence
The Anishinabek Evening of Excellence began as the Anishinabek Lifetime Achievement Awards in 1999. At that time, the goal of the event was to bring awareness to our Anishinabek Nation citizens who have succeeded in various professional endeavors.
The idea was to recognize those individuals who have taken us from reservations to First Nations. People who have made a lifetime commitment to improving the quality of life on First Nations through volunteerism, political service, language preservation, health services, social services, personal achievement, cultural practice, and those who are survivors of residential school or who served in the military.
Our Evening of Excellence brings together close to 300 people annually to recognize deserving Anishinabek citizens who are presented with Anishinabek Lifetime Achievement Awards. We recognize these people as ‘building blocks’ to improving the lives of Anishinabek citizens and the Anishinabek Nation as a whole.
We also recognize the academic achievements of Anishinaabe youth at this event. In 2005, a new component of the Evening of Excellence was introduced. Through some key partnerships, the AN7GC was able to establish the Anishinabek Student Excellence Awards. Each year four to five Anishinaabe students are selected to receive a scholarship celebrating their post-secondary academic excellence and community involvement. Each student receives an all expense paid invitation to the event where they are presented with an Anishinabek Student Excellence Award Scholarship.
In 2007 one of the AN7GC’s close corporate friends passed away from cancer. Ian Thomson had become a great friend of the charity over the years and continued to support the Lifetime Achievement Awards each year. In his memory the AN7GC created the ‘Thomson Award’. This award is presented to a person, corporation or foundation that demonstrates loyalty and continued support of the AN7GC.
In 2008, George Lanouette passed to the spirit world and in his memory we created the George Lanouette Memorial Award. Mr. Lanouette was the first Chief Administrative Officer of the Union of Ontario Indians (UOI). He was instrumental in the development of the UOI; right from the administrative aspects to the establishment of the UOI Head Office on Nipissing First Nation. His work encompasses the key attributes that lead to successful “community development”. That is what the UOI represents to this day; the unity of community for the overall benefit of our citizens; the Anishinabek citizens. This is what the recipient of the George Lanouette Memorial Award exemplifies; a leader in Community Development.
The Anishinabek Evening of Excellence would not be possible without the generous financial contributions of our partners and supporters. We continue to welcome corporate sponsors to be a part of our night of recognition and inspiration and help the AN7GC to make a difference for our People.
Please contact us for information on becoming a partner of our event.
Anishinabek Evening of Excellence memories…
