Multi-Purpose Building Gets Huge Boost From Kahnawake Business
Written by Paul Graif on 12 October 2022
Playground and The Rail announced a $1 million dollar donation to the Capital Campaign for the construction of the Multi-Purpose Cultural Center building in Kahnawake.
“It is very impressive,” Lisa Phillips, the Executive Director of the Kanien’keháka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR), told K1037 News. “I’m obviously thrilled, but I also am not surprised because to me it’s indicative of the support that we received from Playground and the Rail, their entire team throughout the years. We’re very thrilled. It’s very nice when it’s you own community that is supporting you.”
The Turtle Island Theatre will find a permanent home in the new building.
“It was actually really amazing,” Jessica Hernandez, a theatre board member, told K1037 News. “It’s something else to see community organizations step forward and come and support us, the Cultural Center, Tourism and this building and what it means for the future of Kahnawake.”
Hernandez says that by the time the theatre opens as planned around 2024, that the theatre would have been closed for 10 years.
“It’s getting closer to a decade now that we’ve been working on this project,” Hernandez said. “At the beginning it was just a dream, something that we were trying to work towards from the bottom up. Now we’re seeing how real it’s becoming and it’s really amazing.”
Phillips has been working on this project for a long time and she’s finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Some of it’s kind of surreal that we’re actually this is it, this is going to happen now,” Phillips said. “I’ve been working for the organization for 22 years. There’s always been talk and plans over the years of building and different conceptual designs but now this is going to happn.”
It brings the funds raised to just over $6.55 million dollars to date. The goal is a total of $16 million.
