Learning from the Past & Providing Support for the Future
- Admin
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
Aspenroad Resources | Peace River, AB
Meet Elder Priscilla Lalonde, 65, and her business, Aspenroad Resources. With over 45 years of social work experience, Lalonde has dedicated her life to helping people and making a difference in numerous communities across Canada.
Aspenroad Resources is an Indigenous human services agency that provides workshops, training, curriculum development, program development and evaluation services. When asked for her official title, Lalonde is likely to respond “community member.”
“When I moved here, that is how I started to participate in different activities—as a community member,” said Lalonde. “Initially I did a lot of volunteer work, and I am now heavily involved in the Peace River Aboriginal Interagency Committee.”
One of 12 children, Lalonde is from Driftpile First Nations and was raised in Faust, AB. She was taught in a traditional way how important it is to take care of others and the community.
“For the past seven years I have been living in Peace River, or Sâkitawâhk as I like to refer to it because that is its Cree name before it was settled into Peace River,” said Lalonde.
Sâkitawâhk, pronounced Sagitawa, means “mouth of the river” or “where the rivers meet.”
In 1990, Lalonde earned a bachelor of social work degree.
“I’ve spent 45 years in the field of social work. For the last 20 years, I’ve been more of a facilitator and trainer in that field,” said Lalonde.
Lalonde began her career in addictions, moved on to child protection, ran a women’s shelter in Sucker Creek, AB and worked in mental health.
“In 2004, I decided to switch to contract work, and that is how Aspenroad Resources began,” said Lalonde. “Aspenroad was the name of the road I lived on in Faust when I moved back as an adult.”
Since starting Aspenroad Resources, Lalonde has been to every province and territory in Canada facilitating a variety of training.
“This work is close to my heart. I believe as individuals we have the power within us to make a difference for our communities,” said Lalonde. “Thirty years ago, I became a trainer with the Centre for Suicide Prevention. About 15 years ago, they asked me to help develop some Indigenous workshops.”
Lalonde helped develop three workshops for the centre. Little Cub is for Indigenous children under 12; River of Life is for youth over 12; and Walk With Me is an Indigenous suicide bereavement workshop.
“I’ve travelled across Canada with these workshops to share knowledge. We are now training others to deliver these programs,” said Lalonde. “I want to contribute full time in the Peace River area.”
Lalonde stresses the importance of Indigenous people design Indigenous programs.
“In many cases you have Indigenous programs developed by people who are not Indigenous, and these programs end up being ineffective because they are not coming from that lived experience,” said Lalonde.
One of Lalonde’s local teachings is the Wolf Trail program (or makoyoh’sokoi, which is “wolf trail” in the Blackfoot language).
According to Lalonde, Wolf Trail was originally developed by the University of Calgary for Indigenous women—mostly for diabetes health—but it has since expanded.
Lalonde’s role with Peace River Wolf Trail is to expand the program with co-facilitator Mary Barrett to really support the women who attend.
“It’s a 15-week program. One evening a week we start with a smudge and then do a fitness activity,” said Lalonde. “Wolf Trail is for women in the Peace Region who want to understand cultural teachings and learn a holistic way of looking at health.”
Lalonde says it doesn’t matter if participants are Indigenous or non-Indigenous.
“We share cultural tools that help people in their health journey,” said Lalonde. “We work with the teachings of the medicine wheel with a focus on putting daily effort into your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health.”
Not only does Lalonde have widely recognized certifications, she also has training from Elders and Knowledge Keepers—specifically related to Indigenous parenting—as well as the lessons she learned from her grandparents growing up.
“A lot of community workshops I do are on grief and loss, addiction, relationships and family violence,” said Lalonde.
In her Indigenous parenting programs, Lalonde uses activities and goes into what life was like for parents before mainstream teachings.
“It is possible to incorporate both identities and teach our children what they need to know, who they are and where they come from,” said Lalonde. “Keeping our cultural identity, and the sense of belonging that comes with it, is important.
Lalonde has been asked by grade schools in the Peace Region to facilitate ribbon skirt workshops, the Eagle Feather Ceremony, The Blanket Exercise and other traditional events and teachings.
“I was also offered the position of Elder in Residence at Northern Lakes College. This year is my third year with them,” said Lalonde.
In this position, Lalonde offers students support and various cultural teachings like smudging, ribbon skirt making and beading.
Another service Lalonde offers is social issues training.
“I come in and speak about healthy relationships and team building, but certain issues like racism, discrimination and mental health are part of the package with any type of social issue,” said Lalonde.
Lalonde says one of the biggest challenges is what she calls “struggling with symptoms.”
“Symptoms of historical and intergenerational trauma lead to dealing with suicide, addiction, grief and loss. It takes a community to build everyone up through these issues,” said Lalonde.
For Lalonde, family and community are key.
“When I moved to Peace River it became my home territory. My daughter, my grandchildren and I live in this area,” said Lalonde. “I want their future to be better and brighter than my past as a child of residential school survivors. So, I have a responsibility to contribute to my community.”
Looking to the future, Lalonde plans to spend more time in the Peace River area. Her goal is to continue helping people find hope, meaning, purpose and a sense of belonging.
“Knowing who you are, knowing where you fit in the universe, knowing where you come from—and being proud of it—is so important,” said Lalonde.
Interested in learning more about Aspenroad Resources? Visit aspenroadresources.com
By Siobhan Kennedy | Photography by Sharon Krushel and submitted
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