Akwesasne’s Got Talent

The Akwesasne Child and Family Services Program kicked off the 10th Annual National Child Day celebration by hosting the Night of Talent. Held at the St. Regis Recreation Centre this past Friday night, the event gave children of all ages the opportunity to showcase their talent to a standing room only crowd.

The theme of this year’s National Child Day was, “The Right to Freedom of Expression”. Carolyn Francis explained that, “…this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in written or in print, in the form of art or through other media of the child’s choice.”

The talent of the children from the community ranged from artists, singers, dancers, guitarists and other musicians. The performers themselves bravely gave the crowd all that they had, showing off their budding talent.

“I might mess up at first because I’m nervous, but then I’ll be alright,” stated Delmar Iserhoff right before he played AC/DC and White Stripes on his guitar. Another participant, 4-year-old Dallas Lewis, was quite the dancer, performing to a song by Justin Bieber.

“It’s a day to remember that children need love and respect to grow to their full potential,” stated ACFS worker Wanda Thompson, “It’s also a day to marvel at their uniqueness and all they have to offer.”

Nia:wen to the organizers of this event, especially the staff of the ACFS Sodi Horne, Theresa Benedict, Leona Phillips, Barb Thompson, Samantha Thompson and Niio Perkins; who contributed to either cooking, decorating, set-up/take down or the registration table. If there are any volunteers missing from this list, the ACFS workers appreciated your help.

“We really want to thank all of the community who showed up to this event, making it a wonderful evening for the children,” said Carolyn Francis. “We look forward to holding another in the future.”