Woman using her family tragedy to raise awareness about Indigenous resilience
At 38 years old, Fallon Farinacci is the oldest living member of her immediate family.
“Both my parents were murdered when I was nine years old and my older brother committed suicide when he was 29,” she said during an interview with CTV Morning Live on Thursday.
“So I wanted to start this fundraiser, because I am officially the oldest living member of my family. Today is the date that I surpassed my father’s age when he passed away.”
Farinacci’s parents, Sherry and Maurice Paul were murdered in St. Eustache, Man., in 1993 at the ages of 36 and 37. She was nine years old at the time of their deaths. Her brother died by suicide in 2004.
Farinacci, a child survivor of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), said she wants to give back to Indigenous women and youth -- which is why she started the ‘Celebrate Indigenous Resilience – Thirty-Eight’ fundraiser.
“Myself, being displaced from my community, it was really important for me to give back and to inspire Metis youth to reclaim their identity and to stand strong in who they are,” she said.
Farinacci originally set out to raise $3,800, but as of Thursday afternoon has received more than $90,000 in donations.
She said her goal now is to raise $114,000 with the money going to the Abbey House Transitional Home for Indigenous women in the Niagara, Ont., region, and the Manitoba Metis Federation, St. Eustache Local.
“I want people to know we’re still here, and there’s so much beauty in Indigenous cultures and heritage,” Farinacci said.
“I simply wanted to raise awareness and also show the beautiful side of Indigenous cultures while doing so as well.”
She noted that at one time her father, a proud Metis man, was the president of the St. Eustache Local.
“So for me to reclaim my Metis heritage and to stand proud is an honour to do that for him, but also to reclaim it for my children,” Farinacci said.
“I want them to know who they are and grow up to be very proud of who they are and all the ancestors that came before them.”
Donations to Farinacci’s fundraiser can be made online. https://www.gofundme.com/f/Celebrate-Indigenous-Resilience
- With files from CTV’s Michael Hutchinson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.