Ogimaawabiitong – Kenora Chiefs Advisory celebrated a monumental moment over the weekend with local leaders, youth, and community members for the Grand Opening of the Jays Care “Field of Dreams” and 10th anniversary of the Indigenous Rookie League program.

Field Of Dreams is Jays Care’s granting program that provides funding to design, refurbish and build local baseball diamonds in communities across the country. Field Of Dreams diamonds are created to be safe and inclusive spaces where communities can connect, and kids can grow.

For KCA, the Field of Dreams project began in 2021, and the team has been working tirelessly over the last few years with both Jays Care, and our partners, including our Charity arm the Ma’mo’weh Wii’soo’ka’tiwin Foundation to ensure this space was one where youth feel excited, and safe to come.

“I am so proud to be able to attend the Grand Opening and truly see for myself the immense passion and love that went into the creation of this field,” said Chief Chris Skead, on behalf of the KCA Board. “Our youth are our most important investment, and we have to follow through on our commitments to provide them with a better future and more opportunities, and advancing recreation programming in Treaty 3 is a vital part of that,” concluded Skead.

The day began with an opening prayer from Elder Jennette Skead and renderings from drummers on the Makate Waagamichiwanang Gakinaa’amaatiwin Youth and Family Wellness Camp’s drum, and included speeches from Chief Chris Skead, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford, Kenora MP Eric Melillo, KCA’s Senior Advisor Joe Barnes, and Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier.

“This is a space that’s more than just a ball diamond. It’s a symbol of what’s possible when community, leadership, and partnership come together to create opportunity for our youth,” said Stefanie Bryant, Executive Director of the Makate Waagamichiwanang Gakinaa’amaatiwin Youth and Family Wellness Camp. “This Field of Dreams is just the beginning. It’s a space where our youth will run, play, grow, and connect. A place where they’ll find pride, purpose, and possibility — and where our communities will continue to gather for generations to come,” concluded Bryant.

KCA also recognized and honoured current and past players and coaches of the Indigenous Rookie League, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025. Beginning in 2015 as a partnership between three KCA communities, the Indigenous Rookie League has since grown into a Canada-wide program to allow more youth to play baseball through the support of Jays Care and KCA.

A big Miigwetch to the Ogimaawabiitong Board and the Ma’mo’weh Wii’soo’ka’tiwin Foundation — miigwetch for believing in this dream and supporting it every step of the way. To our dignitaries — Mayor Poirier, MP Eric Melillo, and MPP Greg Rickford, who attended the grand opening to show their unwavering support and commitment to our partnerships, as well as Treaty #3 Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh.

A final big Miigwetch to the Jays Care Foundation for your generous funding and long-standing partnership — your support got this project off the ground and continues to impact Indigenous youth across our region. We also gratefully acknowledge the Lawson Foundation for supporting the finishing touches and programming here at the Camp, and we look forward to future partnerships to further enhance the space for our youth.

The Field of Dreams is available to the public for rentals, and if you’d like more information on how to rent the field space, please contact wellness.camp@kenorachiefs.org