THUNDER BAY -- For Francis Wesley Mother's Day turned into a dream come true.
The Walk for Healing organizer had a vision to bring 500 traditional hand-drummers together to celebrate the role drumming plays in fostering spiritual health.
That dream came to reality on Sunday when hundreds of people walked from Waverly Park to the Marina listening to the beating of the drums.
Wesley believes hearing about the difficulties Indigenous people were facing in Thunder Bay and surrounding communities prompted her spiritually to take physical action.
She said the number of high suicide rates in First Nations, the number of Aboriginal women who have gone missing and the lost, homeless youth broke her heart.
“I want the young people to know that we care for them,” Wesley said during a speech.
“I want them to hear the drums because the drums are a healing tool that we use whenever we feel down. We pull out our drums to call upon the creator to help us.”
She explained that too often, grandmothers are forced to take on a parental role when their own children suffer from drug and alcohol addiction.Wesley urged attendees to pray for the women and children who are living in Thunder Bay's streets.
"I hope that the drums will be very loud so that they'll hear, that they'll hear us that they know that we're here for them."