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KANGIQLINIQ/RANKIN INLET
Workers and program recipients across the Kivalliq are bracing themselves for a dark day when March 31, 2013 rolls around.

Noel Kaludjak of Coral Harbour and Kevin Sanguin of Rankin Inlet, right, discuss the proper way to close-out programming for Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services in Rankin this past week. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

That's the day Health Canada funding will end and Kivalliq Counselling and Support Services (KCSS) will close its doors the final time.

The loss of funding will also bring about the end of a decade-long relationship between Kevin Sanguin and the various programs offered through the Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre.

Sanguin has been with KCSS for the past 30 months, and was also directly involved with the Pulaarvik Work Centre and Kivalliq Outreach.

Sanguin said the work is part of his DNA and he doubts if he'll ever be out of the picture for good.

He said he looks at it as stepping away from leadership for another opportunity at the new Kivalliq Healing Centre in Rankin.

"I'm going to be one of the guys putting the healing into the centre, so I take its title seriously," said Sanguin.

"Our funding ends on March 31, but I have a wife and five children who will still need to eat on April 1.

"The centre is an excellent opportunity for me, but my leaving has a lot to due with the end of KCSS funding.

"It we knew funding was continuing, I wouldn't be going anywhere."

Sanguin, 52, said he leaves Pulaarvik family feeling he's been blessed with the chance to help lots of people in many different ways.

He said he'll go to his next position with all his heart and is looking forward to helping people in his new capacity.

"I will leave Pulaarvik with thankfulness to that organization and anticipation towards joining the team at the healing centre to help it run the best it can.

"I'm proud of the work I did here, especially with the work centre and Outreach.

"We have the best people in the region doing the work we do, and I'm blessed to have been a part of it."

Sanguin said the Angutiit Makigiangninga (Men Rising Up) group in Coral Harbour is one of the crowning achievements of KCSS.

He said it makes anyone proud when a community's homegrown program grows and continues, and that's what the Coral men's group represents.

"The group started with the idea of just one person in Coral Harbour, and it's grown into a very successful grassroots way to impact the lives of men and their families.

"That's one of the things we have tried to do here over the years."

Sanguin said the men's group stands on the Word of God and that's why the program is so successful.

He said the men have held fast on the word of God and their success is something the entire region should be proud of.

"A million programs will come and go that propose to change people for the better, but, unless there's a force bigger than ourselves, we know self-help isn't very helpful.

"The men are very open about the fact they stand on the word of God when they bring the program to people.

"We welcome anyone, whatever their beliefs, and they don't have to believe in God or anything else for that matter to be helped.

"But, while everyone is welcome, the foundation of the program and the reason for its success, in my view, is because we've held fast to God's word."

Sanguin said the men's group and many other programs wouldn't be here if not for the past work of Kivalliq Outreach.

He said the programs offered through KCSS are an extension of Outreach.

"This has spanned more than six years, and it's with this work that we've really been able to reach out beyond our staff into the communities.

"It's the same work because they flow into each other, with Kivalliq Outreach becoming KCSS.

"So all three are very meaningful to me.

"When we closed Kivalliq Outreach, we were looking everywhere for funding to keep the programs going that were really working."

Sanguin said Health Canada entered the picture in June of 2010 and provided the funding to keep the programs going.

He said if nothing changes and the funding is lost on March 31, a total of 10 KCSS positions and five support-staff positions will disappear.

"All of these dollars stay here because they're all workers grown here and who live here.

"The amount of people we employ in addition to our regular staff makes for a significant payroll.

"It's really quite compelling, the work that's possible, and the payroll far exceeds our own core staff because of all the different things we do in the communities.

"We hire as many different people as we can to do the work, and that's going to missed by a lot of people in our communities."

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