AQUARTERLY NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION OF PROJECT LITERACY KELOWNA SOCIETY
205-591 BERNARD AVENUE KELOWNA BC V1Y 6N9 PHONE 762-2163

Alice and Arthur’s Button Blanket

P.L.K.S participants: Arthur & Alice with graduating son, Joseph

“When you find out your children are graduating, the Haida tradition is for aunts to make the button blanket for the graduate. To me, the button blanket shows how proud I am of my son.My children have no aunts living in Kelowna so Arthur and I made the blanket for my son.

Arthur and I phoned back home to order the material we needed. We ordered two meters of red and two meters of black.We needed 1,566 buttons, small, medium and large. It took only two days from Masset to Kelowna by mail!

The children’s symbol comes from the mother’s side of the Haida clan. I'm an eagle so my children are eagles. Arthur made the design of the eagle. My son’s Haida name “Kung” means moon and it is at the top. Arthur and I did all the sewing by hand.It took three and a half weeks to do the blanket.

The background of the blanket is red and the eagle and the name are black. Everything is outlined in buttons. All the buttons are white. At night the buttons look like they’re glowing. It is so beautiful and breath-taking that Arthur and I and my son can share our native pride with this button blanket.”

Jim Milne - Project Literacy’s “Math Paramedic”!

Jim Milne took his tutor training in April 2002. In the past year, Jim has worked with 8 learners! Jim’s specialty is math - a subject that many learners (and tutors!) dread! At Project Literacy he is known as the “Math Paramedic”, dropping all things and coming to the rescue whenever called upon! The learners that Jim has worked with have passed math entrance exams, worked toward getting their GED and have, ultimately, moved on to pursue their dreams - dreams that may not have been fulfilled without his help! Hats off to you, Jim!