Homeless woman gets special birthday surprise
By Lethbridge Herald on July 2, 2021.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
Melissa Many Fingers-Healy of Kii maa pii pii tsin ÒKindness to OthersÓ Renewal and Healing Centre helps serve birthday cake to Miranda Spear Chief, who is known as ÒMomÓ to the local homeless community, at Galt Gardens on Friday.Tim Kalinowski
Lethbridge Herald
tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
A 55-year-old homeless woman has been gifted with a new wheelchair thanks to the Kii maa pii pii tsin “Kindness to Others” Renewal and Healing Centre.
Miranda Spear Chief received the news at a special birthday party in Galt Gardens on Friday afternoon, and should receive the new wheelchair by the end of July.
The special birthday present was organized by Kindness to Others peer mentor Melissa Many Fingers-Healy, and was purchased through over $1,500 in donations received from a GoFundMe campaign.
“I think Miranda deserved something for her special day,” explained Many Fingers-Healy. “She said it has been since she was 13-years-old the last time she celebrated a birthday. I think it was important to show there are people out there who care about her. She thought nobody cared. She thought it was just going to be another day in her normal life. I want people to know they are all human beings out here, and they all deserve to feel special on their birthday.”
Many Fingers-Healy says a lot of the homeless population in Lethbridge call Spear Chief, who is a residential school survivor, “Mom.”
“She is Mom to a lot of them, and she deserves a wheelchair because hers was almost breaking,” stated Many Fingers-Healy. “There was a lot of people who wanted to help, and I am glad.”
Alongside the announcement of a new wheelchair, The Blackfoot Singers serenaded Spear Chief with a traditional honour song in Blackfoot accompanied by hand drums, and many from the local homeless community gathered around to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. She also helped serve slices of two special birthday cakes to anyone who wanted one.
Spear Chief, who was moved to tears by the celebration, said she was grateful for the kindness shown to her on her birthday after living such a difficult life on the streets.
“I thought nobody cared,” she said.
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