Kenny-Beaton leaves a lasting legacy in women

by: Debbie Mishibinijima - Wawatay News

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Aboriginal people in the Sioux Lookout area are mourning the loss of a great lady – Lorraine Kenny-Beaton.

January 21, 2010: Volume 37 #2, Page B6

Kenny made her way home to the spirit world Jan. 14 after a long battle with cancer.

Kenny, a Lac Seul member, was married to Brian Beaton and the loving mother of Leilani, Clayton, Serena and Stefanie.

She also had five grand children – Alliah, Jordan, Chalise, Chloe and Tristan.

Kenny was very devoted to improving the lives of Aboriginal people.

She had been a residential school survivor of Pelican Falls Indian Residential School.  

She had taken her life experiences and worked on her own self-healing and then helped others to heal.

Her passion was in the areas of parenting and residential school healing.

She developed the “Raising the Children” manual and the “The Resiliency Workbook for Survivors of Residential School.”

Garnet Angeconeb worked with Kenny in helping people to heal from the trauma of Indian Residential Schools.

“We worked on the residential school issue,” he said. “She helped a lot of people – a lot of the survivors. She was very

committed to working in the healing movement.”

Angeconeb said Kenny was very committed to working with First Nation families.

“She was a fantastic lady and friend to all. She is going to be dearly missed,” Angeconeb said.

She was a founding member of many Sioux Lookout organizations including Sunset Women’s Aboriginal Circle, Equay-Wuk (Women’s Group) and Waninawakang Aboriginal Headstart.

She volunteered on the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee and Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre.

She helped to coordinate the Bii Waasaya Healing Project; which was a residential school healing program.

The work that Kenny had started at Equay-wuk continues for the benefit of helping women of the north and their families.

Jennifer Derosier, program director of Equay-wuk, was greatly influenced by Kenny’s work.

“When Equay-wuk started there was a number of strong, determined women and Lorraine was one of them,” Desrosier said. “We continued with the work.

“Her heart was with women and the families, in trying to help parents.”

Desrosier’s memories of Kenny go way back.

“I recall using her manual Raising the Children when I was a student in the Native Child and Family Worker Program.

“I remember thinking ‘It’s nice to see a First Nations woman develop a manual for First Nations families.’

It was relevant to Aboriginal life.

“Before Lorraine’s work, I don’t know what was there.”

Donations can be made in Kenny’s memory to the Raising the Children Fund through the Sioux Lookout Funeral Home, Box 1449, Sioux Lookout, Ont. P8T 1B9.

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