Name Kat Marsch
Who are you ?
Kat Marsch is a Métis woman from Selkirk Manitoba. She is a mom to two little girls who are First Nations and Métis. Kat is a grade two teacher within the Lord Selkirk School Division.
Where are you from ?
Selkirk, Manitoba
Where do you live now? Selkirk, Manitoba
Where do you work? What do they provide and what is your role?
Lord Selkirk School Division Teacher
How did you end up working where you do now?
*now ... I applied after I finished my university degree in 2015.
Where do you volunteer?
Selkirk Friendship Centre, Ruth Hooker School, LSSD coaching / sports organizations, Selkirk 55+ Games, and whatever else needs me within the community
How did you find yourself as a volunteering there?
Growing up within the same organizations, mainly. Building a connection as a youth and then continuing as a volunteer in my adulthood.
What does your volunteering provide?
Growth, health & happiness for me and my community.
What does a community mean to you?
People supporting each other
What community are you apart of ? It can be a team, group, organization, physical location ect.
My home community Treaty 1/ Red River Settlement. The city of Selkirk. My classroom community. My LSSD community. My basketball community.
Who else is involved in your community?
Youth, adults & elders!
How does everyone work together within your community?
By offering ourselves in any capacity in order to support and serve each other and the greater parts of ourselves as a whole.
What are the challenges your community faces?
Poverty, addiction, illness, racism, to name a few.
What do you think is the impact of your community? What do they offer to others or those involved?
We offer support, help with other community resources, love, food, education, extra curricular activities.
What is something you would like to create in your community or group?
A program that could feed all our students every day breakfast & lunch.
What is your biggest reason for being apart of your community?
Love.
What has been the best outcome of your community? do you have a success story you'd like to share?
Every child continuing to thrive despite their challenges is a success story for us.
How has your involvement or work in the community changed you? How are your a different person now because of it?
Of course! I am forever grateful for what my community gave to me and for that alone it is worth it to “give back”. (They have given, and continue to give me, far more than I could ever return)
What are some of the lessons you have learned?
Funding sucks (ha!) I wish I could win the lottery to support my “kids”
Why do you want to share your community? What do you feel its is important to let others know?
I think every community is special. I like sharing about mine because we are special, our children are special, and our community members are special. It’s hard to describe the infinite love I have for our community and how wonderfully we work together.
What is one thing you really want others to know about your community or group? Our school is a beautiful place, where children come from all different types of homes. Rich homes, poor homes, homes with 1 parent, homes with 4 parents, homes struggling with addiction, homes struggling to put food on the table. But when you walk through our doors, it’s all fixable. It’s all love. And it’s all community.