It’s being billed as a chance to honour the women of outfitting, but there’s a lot more to the Willmore Wilderness Foundation’s Mother’s Day Extravaganza that comes to Jasper on May 14.

The weekend event is a fundraiser for a group of Anseniwuche Winewak (Rocky Mountain Cree) youth from Grande Cache. The group, some of whom will be participating in the traditional fashion show that will highlight the Jasper event, have qualified for the North American Indigenous Games in Denver, Colorado this summer.

“The kids competed provincially and 16 placed high enough to qualify in events like distance running,” said Susan Feddema-Leonard of the Willmore Wilderness Foundation.

“We’re hoping to raise some money through these events to help support their trip in July.”

The event, which will honour local outfitting families like the McCreadys and the Hargreaves is just the latest in what has been a successful series for the foundation. The first of the galas was held in Edson and more than 130 came out, Feddema-Leonard said, followed by a sold-out affair in Grande Cache. Although she doesn’t have a complete idea of how tickets are moving for the Jasper version, Feddema-Leonard did say that many guests from out of town have already booked their packages.

The foundation has been working since its inception to improve the trail system in the Willmore Wilderness area north of Jasper National Park and also to increase local awareness of the region’s history. That means the stories of both the pioneering outfitting community and the Anseniwuche Winewak, who included the Jasper area as part of their territory before the incorporation of the national park in 1907.

Being a part of the outfitting galas has been a big thrill for the aboriginal youth, Fedemma-Leonard said.

“They are all pumped. A lot of the kids have never been outside of Grande Cache — going to Grande Prairie is a big trip for them!”

While the gala and the opportunity to earn support towards the Aboriginal Games is exciting for Fedemma-Leonard in general, she’s pretty thrilled about the opportunity that’s being provided for her own daughter. Chehala Leonard will be filming and interviewing the fashion show participants before, during and after the Jasper event, providing footage and 

commentary for a program called “the Link”  that will appear on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network in the winter of 2006.