Help fill new South Porcupine rock garden with uplifting messages

TIMMINS - Having moved into a new home, a local group has a rock-solid idea to create a space for people to reflect.

As National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, Quilts for Survivors is launching a survivors’ garden with hand-painted rocks, orange in colour with kind messages, which is a new initiative that will serve as a symbol of remembrance and positivity.

Studio manager Katherine Jeremiah-Génier, who uses the pronouns they-them, planted the seed for the initiative.

“We recently acquired a new space, and there’s this empty space in our outdoor area that seemed perfect for creating a place where people can sit and relax,” they said. 

Inspired by a similar project around Gillies Lake, Jeremiah-Génier envisioned a garden filled with orange rocks, each painted with positive messages for survivors. 

“I thought it would be a cool idea to use orange rocks with uplifting messages,” they said. 

“We want this to be a space where people can come, reflect, and find comfort.”

The garden will also include a seating area and orange flowers in the organization’s garden boxes. The rocks will remain in the garden year-round, offering a constant reminder of the community's support and respect for survivors, Jeremiah-Génier said.

“I hope the positive messages on the rocks will help someone who is going through a tough time,” they said.

The public is invited to contribute by dropping painted rocks off at either 58 Legion Dr. in South Porcupine or 130 Tamarack St. in Timmins. 

Vanessa Génier, Jeremiah-Génier’s mother and the founder of Quilts for Survivors, emphasized the importance of remembering the history and the pain associated with residential schools. 

“If we don’t take time to remember what happened at the schools, it will be forgotten. Our survivors will be forgotten,” she said. 

Génier stresses that acknowledging this history is crucial to preventing its repetition and fostering understanding. She also noted the ongoing impact of colonialism and racism in Canada. 

“Canada is still a very racist country,” she said. 

“Timmins, in particular, has its issues with racism. We need to understand the history and cultures that existed long before colonizers arrived. The land we call Canada was inhabited by Indigenous nations long before it became a country.”

Just because there are no more residential schools, doesn't mean that the pain isn't still there, Génier said.

“I was just at a gathering and there's still a lot of hurt. There's still a lot of hurt in our communities. There's lots of intergenerational trauma,” she said.

The new location for Quilts for Survivors, although an Anglican Church in its past, is now a studio dedicated to sewing and community engagement, Génier said. 

“Even though it's an Anglican Church — we know that the Anglican Church ran schools — we want them to realize that this isn't a church anymore. It's a building. It's a studio now,” she said.

SEE: Quilts for Survivors moving into former South Porcupine church

Génier said they’re committed to ensuring that the space remains welcoming to survivors and the broader community. 

“We want our new space to be a safe and open place for everyone, not just for sewing, although that’s primarily what we do. We encourage people to come in and see what we do and what we’re about,” she said.