Team Sask.'s Kokum Squad raises $25K to watch their grandchildren at NAIG

When their grandchildren made Team Saskatchewan for the North American Indigenous Games in Halifax, a group of grandmothers knew they would be there, cheering them on from the sidelines.

To make it happen though, they needed to raise about $25,000 and plan a 17-day road trip across the country.

"Some of us were coming regardless of how much money we had," says Kokum Squad member Carol Lavallee, from Cowessess First Nation, roughly 137 kilometres east of Regina.

"We were going to be here for the kids."

Lavallee's six grandchildren had their final tryouts to compete with Team Saskatchewan in baseball and volleyball on April 20. Five days later they learned they made the team, and fundraising efforts to cover the trek to the East Coast started almost immediately. 

"They know if anything goes wrong, we're there," said Lavallee.

"We're supporting them."

Sports a positive outlet

Though she's well traveled thanks to touring the powwow trail in the summers, Lavallee said she's never been as far east as Halifax before.

Supporting her grandchildren goes beyond just cheering them on from the sidelines, though. Lavallee said she encourages them to participate in activities they're interested in, and that they're good at.

"People are watching, you never know what [NAIG] might lead to," said Lavallee.

She said NAIG encourages the young athletes to reach a goal, and younger kids watching them may see them as role models. For Lavallee, watching them participate fills her with pride.

Lavallee's sister Brenda Standingready from White Bear First Nation, about 186 kilometres southeast of Regina, is also a member of the Kokum Squad.  

She said she's there for her grandchildren, champions or not, because she only wants the best for them. 

She got her granddaughters into baseball when they were 12. 

"We go all over. The girls usually play for two teams through the summer," said Standingready.

Standingready said sports are a positive outlet her grandchildren have that keeps them on the right path. She hopes to see them playing for university level teams when the time comes. 

A community effort

To raise money for the trip, the Kokum Squad held bingos with canteens, silent auctions and sold Indian tacos, taco-in-a-bag and soup and bannock in their home communities.

In total, they held five bingo events and six different food sales in less than 90 days to make their trip to NAIG possible. 

While the kokums worked hard cooking, buying all the supplies and rounding up donations for the prizes, they said it was their communities that bought the food, played their games and even donated prizes here and there. 

"[We are] so very proud of our community for helping in that way," said Standingready.