Catching up with Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud

Transcona

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/12/2023 (1035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tessa Blaikie Whitecloud, who shared a few of her favorite moments growing up in Transcona, and the path that led to her career with Siloam Mission as their CEO.

I first knew of Tessa as a classmate of my daughter in Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau, a French immersion high school. She then attended University of Winnipeg where she received the gold medal in honours sociology. At Carleton University, she worked towards her masters of arts in political economy.

Tessa credits her passion for serving the needy to her upbringing and the examples set by her parents. They taught their children to use their skills in a socially responsible manner. As a resource teacher, her mother helped students with learning difficulties. Her father, Bill Blaikie, who passed in 2022, was an ordained United Church minister, a member of Parliament with the New Democratic Party and a vocal social activist.

Tessa’s proclivity for helping others began even before graduation. In high school, her world issues teacher accompanied them to Bolivia. There, they provided support to orphanages and daycares. In Winnipeg’s North End, she spent many summers as a camp leader.

Her active membership in the Transcona Memorial United Church led her to become the fund director in 2014 of 1JustCity, a new organization started by the United Church. With other ministries, they joined as one group with a mission “to strengthen and sustain social justice work in Winnipeg through the financial support of its member charities.” Four years later she became the organization’s executive director.

In November 2021, Tessa accepted the position as CEO of Siloam Mission. A Christian-based organization, it serves those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, have mental health issues, addictions, and other difficulties. All patrons are welcome and treated with respect and dignity.

I asked Tessa what she felt was the greatest concern of Siloam Mission, and she stated it was a lack of affordable housing. Without housing, people are exposed to the traumas of living on the streets, which often contributes to mental health issues. Their vision is for “a Winnipeg without chronic homelessness.”

Some of her favorite memories growing up in Transcona are of being active, like enjoying walks in the Bioreserve, after-school sports at École Regent Park and swimming at the Transcona Centennial Kinsmen pool on toonie swim for teens nights. In 2005, she was on the provincial wrestling team. She laughed as she told me her dream job was when she taught aquacise at Bernie Wolfe Pool.

Visit www.siloam.ca to learn about the many programs offered at Siloam Mission, or to find out how you can provide support to them through donations or volunteerism. As quoted from Tessa’s LinkedIn account, “I believe in donor love — its their impact we’re the vehicle.”