Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

On Saturday, October 19, 2013 the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club along with the ACCE (Akwesasne Coalition for Community Empowerment) held a free family event at the Tewathahita Walking Trail and benefitting the Torch Club. Torch Clubs are charter small-group leadership and service clubs within the Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club for boys and girls ages 11-13. A Torch Club is a powerful vehicle through which Club staff can help meet the special character development needs of younger adolescents at a critical stage in their development. Torch Club members learn to elect officers and work together to implement activities in four areas: service to the community and Club, education, health and fitness and social recreation. The Torch Club Awards are presented annually to Torch Clubs with outstanding program and activities in the four areas. Each year, Torch Club members from all over the country take part in a service-learning experience through the National Torch Club Project. The Torch Club will now be ordering T-shirts for their group to wear at their special events and every day wear.

Participants of all ages walked, jogged, ran or if they were lucky rode in their stroller for 5 kilometers. They wore neon bright t-shirts along with neon necklaces, bracelets and many even opted to decorate themselves with neon tape. Without the networking of the two groups; the Akwesasne Coalition for Community Empowerment and the Akwesasne Boys and Girls Club this event would not have been such a success. The Akwesasne Boys & Girls Club and the ACCE have such great staff and a cadre of dependable and dedicated volunteers. Organizers were very pleased at the turn out of the first Neon Walk and look forward to an even bigger event next year. Many children were asking if they held these kinds of events every weekend. The free family events held by the ACCE and the SRMT and MCA Community Service programs help define Akwesasne as a caring and healthy environment to live and raise your children.