Honouring Kukpi7 Michael Christian: 2026 Volunteer Award Recipient

FIRST PERMANENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS – UPDATE

Presenting our first permanent Board of Directors:
‍Throughout 2020, based on the recommendations in the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation Survivor Engagement Report, we recruited the first permanent Survivor-led Board of Directors for the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation. Our first official Board of Directors represent compassion, strength, unity and healing.

November 12, 2020 Virtual Event
‍Official Launch of the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation and Board of Directors Announcement. Captions in French and English will be provided in the future, but for now, the video is available for viewing in its entirety.

Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Minister Bennett shares remarks on the new permanent Board Members of the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation and their vital work to address the legacy of the Sixties Scoop.

Ontario Akwesasne, September 27, 2026

The National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada was honoured to present the 2026 Volunteer Award to Kukpi7 Michael Christian, Board Member, at this year's Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon. The award recognizes his distinguished leadership, generous service, and steadfast commitment to Sixties Scoop Survivors, cultural reclamation, and community revitalization.

(Director of Finance and Operations, Selina Legge, Board member, Kukpi7 Michael Christian and Board Chair, Shirley Cardinal) Kukpi7 Michael Christian, Board Member, is recognized with the 2026 Volunteer Award at the Foundation's Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon.

(Board member, Kukpi7 Michael Christian and Board Chair, Shirley Cardinal) at the Foundation's Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon

Kukpi7 (Chief) Michael Christian and Troy MacBeth Abromaitis) The Board of Directors’ Participation at the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg

A Life of Leadership and Service
One of ten children born to Delphine Christian, Kukpi7 Michael Christian is a proud member of the Splatsin Secwépemc Nation, formerly known as the Spallumcheen Indian Band. He first served as Kukpi7 of Splatsin from 1999 to 2001. On January 23, 2024, he once again earned the confidence of his people and began a second term of elected leadership, serving from 2024 to 2026.

(Kukpi7Michael Christian)

As a Sixties Scoop Survivor who spent 11 years of his youth in a government institutional foster system, Kukpi7 Christian brings a deeply personal understanding of the intergenerational impacts of child removal. That lived experience informs his commitment to healing, cultural reclamation, and the revitalization of Indigenous communities.

(From Left to right: TroyMacBeth Abromaitis and Kukpi7(Chief) Michael Christian) The Board of Directors’ Participation at the Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly in Winnipeg

Experience That Strengthens Governance Kukpi7 Christian holds a Bachelor of Information Technology from American Inter Continental University in Chicago and numerous instructor-level diplomas from Vancouver Community College. His career spans private-sector business ownership, public-sector management and leadership, and work in Indigenous communities across Western Canada as a computer instructor and technician, where he helped strengthen digital literacy and technical capacity.

He also brings substantial board and committee experience, including 13 years of leadership in Indigenous services and more than 20 years in education and administration. His work has included developing programs and policies in education, governance, Indigenous and non-Indigenous law, natural and cultural resources, and information and communication technology. This breadth of experience, together with his knowledge of Indigenous histories, protocols, and social structures, strengthens his service to the Splatsin people, the greater Secwépemc Nation, and the Foundation's Board.

Kukpi7 (Chief) Michael Christian NSSHFC Board Member in Ottawa: Special Chiefs Assembly Passes Resolution Supporting Indigenous Child Removal Survivors

Advancing Culture, Healing, and Resilience

A passionate advocate for language and cultural revitalization, Kukpi7 Christian works to preserve and pass on the teachings of his people. His efforts strengthen Indigenous identity and resilience while advancing the Foundation's commitment to Survivor-led healing, cultural empowerment, and the reclamation of Indigenous ways of being.

(From Left to right: CEO of the NSSCHF Wayne Garnons-Williams, National Sixties Scoop First Nation Mother Elder Philomene Sanderson, Board Member, Kukpi7 (Chief) Michael Christian, Board Treasurer, Troy MacBeth Abromaitis, Board Secretary, Mary John, and Board Member, Chris Wagg.) In Ottawa:Special Chiefs Assembly Passes Resolution Supporting Indigenous Child Removal Survivors

His leadership demonstrates how lived experience, professional knowledge, and cultural responsibility can come together in service of lasting change.

(From left to right: Board Treasurer, Troy Macbeth Abromaitis,Board Member, Kukpi7 (Chief) Michael Christian & NSSHFC CEO, Wayne Garnons-Williams) In Ottawa: Special Chiefs Assembly Passes Resolution Supporting Indigenous Child Removal Survivors

Why This Matters
The Volunteer Award is presented with intention and gratitude. It recognizes people who embody the spirit of the Foundation's work, those who understand that meaningful change is created through both major milestones and everyday acts of care.
‍

(from left to Right, Board member, Eric Phillips, Director of Programs, Kamal Hossain, Board member, Kukpi7 Michael Christian, Board member Treasurer, Troy Abromaitis, and Board member, Chris Wagg at the2025 Annual General Meeting in Toronto.)

In honouring Kukpi7 Michael Christian, the Foundation celebrates his time, dedication, and the example he sets through service to Survivors and community. The 2026 Volunteer Award celebrates a leader whose life and service reflect courage, responsibility, and a deep belief in the strength of Indigenous peoples. Kukpi7 Christian's work continues to support Survivors and their families on their paths toward restoration and resilience.

2023 Annual General Meeting from left to right/top to bottom Director of Communications, Rochelle Guiboche, Board Member, Kukpi7 Michael Christian, Director of Finance and Operations Selina Legge, (Elder from BC need name) Board Member, Danelle St-Laurent, And Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Garnons-Williams)

With Gratitude

We raise our hands in deep gratitude to Kukpi7 Michael Christian for his leadership, wisdom, advocacy, and dedicated service. His lived experience as a Sixties Scoop Survivor, his commitment to the Splatsin and greater Secwépemc Nation, and his contributions as a member of the Foundation's Board make him a deserving recipient of the 2026 Volunteer Award.

Board Member, Kukpi7 Michael Christian

gilakas'la, kinanâskomitin, marsee, marsi cho, migwetch, nia:wen, nakummek, tshinashkumitin, wela'lin, tiniki, merci, thank you.

To learn more about the work ofthe National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada and its commitment to Survivors and communities, visit www.sixtiesscoophealingfoundation.ca or follow us on social media.