A powwow dancer from the Nekaneet First Nation is hoping to raise awareness for missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada.
On Saturday morning, 17 year-old Laryn Oakes will lead an awareness run at Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
All money raised from the event will go towards assisting aboriginal families in the efforts to find out what happened to their loved ones.
Last November Oakes won the Miss Manito Ahbe contest in Winnipeg.
From there, she says the idea to hold the run began:
“What we wanted to do was bring awareness of missing and murdered aboriginal women to young people out there and get this topic heard. Right now no one talks about it or says anything about it so that’s what I wanted to — was bring awareness.”
She adds that in 2012 one of her closest friends was murdered in Edmonton.
Oakes sits on the board of the Iskwewuk E-Wichiwitochik Organization, the group affiliated with the march.
Over the past several months she has travelled across North America to speak at several events.
The run on Saturday begins at 9 a.m.