La Ronge wellness centre offers new scholarship in memory of cherished community member

The Piwapan Wellness Centre in La Ronge is offering a new scholarship to northern students in honour of community pillar Valerie Barnes-Connell. La Ronge Native Women’s Council Inc. Board of Directors decided to create the scholarship for students entering Human Services programs, after Valerie’s passing to honour her love for the North. “We wanted to [...] The post La Ronge wellness centre offers new scholarship in memory of cherished community member first appeared on Prince Albert Daily Herald .

The Piwapan Wellness Centre in La Ronge is offering a new scholarship to northern students in honour of community pillar Valerie Barnes-Connell. La Ronge Native Women’s Council Inc. Board of Directors decided to create the scholarship for students entering Human Services programs, after Valerie’s passing to honour her love for the North. “We wanted to honour her and give back to her as a way of sharing our scholarships with future leaders,” expressed Social Media Coordinator for Piwapan Wellness Center, Jordan Bird.

Since estabilshment in 1978, La Ronge Native Women’s Council Inc. is made up of seven community members, has provided northern Saskatchewan with numerous heatlh and wellness supports, such as Piwapan Women’s Centre, Kikianahk Friendship Centre, Northern Saskatchewan Crisis Line, and many more assistance programs. Valerie Barnes-Connell was a recognized advocate for northern Saskatchewan, loved community member, journalist and writer, who sadly passed suddenly on March 9, 2026. “She would always attend events or programs, she would show her support by either helping promote, or volunteering her time, or helping us connect with other resources,” said Bird.

“She went above and beyond, (she) went out of her own way to make time to our women’s centre and our wellness centre here in La Ronge.” Barnes-Connell was a member of the board for the LRNWCI, as well as the Media Co-op Board of Directors, Wild Rice Writers Group, and Living Skies Regional Christian Council in partnership with La Ronge United Church. She also wrote for La Ronge Northerner before the paper closed in 2015.

She also wrote for the Northern Advocate and the Prince Albert Daily Herald. Bird said Barnes-Connell was a huge part of the LRNWCI events, programming, from her constant volunteering and wealth of wisdom and knowledge. “She was part of the family in the north.

In the Cree language, she was like our kohkom,” said Bird when asked about Valerie’s impact on the northern Saskatchewan community. Barnes-Connell was open to sharing her immense knowledge and wisdom with people on their healing journey and would go above and beyond to help others whenever she could. “We have a lot of students that go down south and they end up staying down south instead of bringing the education back home,” explained Bird.

The scholarship is made for students going into helping fields such as mental health and wellness, intervention, nursing, care aid, addictions and treatment, and support work for people with special needs. “The main thing is trying to motivate people to bring some of the education back to the north,” said Bird, when explaining the goal for the scholarship. Students eligible for the scholarship must be of Indigenous ancestry, must express commitment to providing service in northern Saskatchewan, must reside in or originate from a community serviced by the LRNWCI, and must be enrolled full-time in a recogized post-secondary study leading to a profession or career within the human services field.

The scholarship can provide $1,000 and the deadline to apply is September 1, 2026. The LRNWCI also offers the Margaret Beament Scholarship, and the Mary Heimbecker Scholarship. Valerie Barnes-Connell is loved and missed by many, and her connection and impact in northern Saskatchewan will be remembered.

Applicants can register at jordanbird@piwapan.com and seek more information at (306) 425-3909 or www.pwc.programs.com/scholarship/