SUNDAY MAY 3rd - 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Doors open for coffee/tea at 4 p.m.

at Annesley United Church (Middle Grey Arts & Heritage)

82 Toronto St., S., Markdale, Ontario

STORY SHARING LEADS:

Jillian Morris is Kanien’kehaka and a band member of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. As an Indigenous writer, she focuses on redressing history, reclaiming culture, and making space to share stories. Jillian says “I know many are like me and curious about people, the natural world, and this life. Walking around asking questions, examining things, exploring, wandering. My writing is a product of all that. We all need a place to tell our story.”

Alessia Farris is a heritage professional dedicated to bridging the gap between global preservation standards and local community history. Curator at the Craigleith Heritage Depot, my approach is informed by a Master’s in World Heritage and an academic foundation in Classical Archaeology. I bring a a "collections-first" mindset, she is passionate about making history accessible. She sees story sharing as a way to promote local history through innovative outreach in Museum Online Exhibits.

LEARNING SHARING LEADS:

Stacie Howe, Community Connector of thebeautifulbeavervalley.ca will share how our Guiding Principles were applied in story building for our website, and how they guide connections and inspire our relationships. She will speak to the soft power of community and the importance of individual intent and holding space for all voices in “rounds” at our Stewardship Circles.

Chari Cohen is a ceramic artist who moved to the Beaver Valley in 2020. Her early years near the mountains and prairies of Southern Alberta play an important role in her art. Now that she calls the Beaver Valley home, she is constantly being inspired to create work that reflects the wonder found in the wilds and in the seams where humans and nature interact. In an effort to give back to her community, Chari held an all-women’s fundraising event that allowed her to share her love of fly fishing while raising money for a local women’s shelter.

OUR CORE TEAM SUPPORTS

Heather Reid, Community Outreach Coordinator of thebeautifulbeavervalley.ca will collect your information and provide connection details as you arrive for the evening. You may sign up for our newsletter and explore ways to be involved in our community-led adventure. Speak to Heather for more details and future communications on our Hylo platform.

Kate Russell, Community Catalyst of thebeautifulbeavervalley.ca will be on hand to host the evening and share insights on community outreach, relationship-building and our community impact. Speak to her about future potential activities for asset-based community-driven development toward raising watershed voices.

WITH GREAT THANKS TO

Tim Reilly, Producer with Middle Grey Arts & Heritage for coordinating the audio-visuals and streaming for us. His team’s transformation of the acoustically-aligned sanctuary and wired-for-sound atmosphere is a great benefit to our community. Events at this exciting new venue are available online.

Annesley United Church, a historic community gathering place for faith and fellowship has been serving Markdale and area people since 1885. The town’s founder Mark Armstrong gifted the land for a Methodist Church for a dollar. His descendant is still a trustee of the church. We appreciate the community heritage surviving within its hallowed walls.

RSVP:

Please RSVP for this Story Stewardship Circle. Those who wish to attend online will be sent a streaming link. We appreciate your in-person attendance to share your stories and offer insight into future storytelling.

Email your RSVP to events.thebeautifulbeavervalley@gmail.com confirming your attendance. If you are not able to attend or have others who may be interested, please pass this invitation on to a friend or group.

We look forward to continuing storytelling together in watershed community relationship!

MORE INFORMATION

Beaver Valley Destination Stewardship continues to promote Indigenous-led experiences offered by Bagida’waad Alliance and is grateful for the charitable sponsorship of the Osprey Museum. For 2026, our Stewardship Circles Engage Neighbourhood Energy (SCENE) will shift to storytelling on our website and hosting Citizen Science activities across the watershed.

The community is invited to participate in these SCENE experiences, as together we endeavor to see the whole picture with responsibility, reciprocity, respect, and relevance.

This project is supported through a grant from the Community Foundation Grey Bruce, which is funding speaker fees and expenses for our SCENE events. The CFGB encourages endowment building and facilitates philanthropic partnerships within all communities in Grey and Bruce, now and for future generations. The foundation supports Grey Bruce residents through grants to community projects by nonprofit organizations and scholarships, bursaries or awards to students. It provides leadership in identifying community issues and convening discussion.

Our SCENE project is informed by our Indigenous friends, who bring their voices in the spirit of Two-Eyed Seeing. This concept was developed by respected Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall. It recognizes the strengths of Indigenous and Western ways of knowing and is a process of simultaneously holding both perspectives, in order to foster a more holistic and nuanced understanding of the world. It promotes a collaborative approach to learning and problem-solving, beginning with relationship.