‘We are still here’: Kikinahk staff play pivotal role during COVID-19 pandemic response
When widescale shutdowns and layoffs occurred in La Ronge due to the coronavirus pandemic last March, staff at La Ronge’s Kikinahk Friendship Centre remained ready to serve.
Before the pandemic, Kikinahk was well-known for its after school youth programming, which attracted up to 60 kids each night. In total, approximately 700 people were registered with some participants coming every day, while others would attend more sporadically.
That lively energy and spirit the young people brought to the facility came to a sudden end and Kikinahk staff quickly pivoted to different community-based roles.
“We’ve never shut our doors,” Kikinahk Executive Director Ron Woytowich said. “We are not working out of our homes. We are still here.”