On January 8th 2025, the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council toured the construction site of the new Akwesasne Freedom School to receive project updates from Friends of the Freedom School (FOAFS) Executive Director Alvera Sargent, FOAFS Special Projects Manager Waylon Cook and FOAFS Executive Assistant Jessica Sargent.
In May of 2022, the Tribal Council pledged $2 million towards the new Akwesasne Freedom School building project to further strengthen Mohawk language and cultural teachings for the children of Akwesasne.
In August of 2024, the Tribal Council was approached by FOAFS for additional financial assistance, as FOAFS fundraising efforts had not been able to sustain the rising inflationary costs of materials and labor experienced through the pandemic and into recent years.
While the Tribal Council was not able to fund the full completion of the school, they passed TCR 2024-49 to contribute an additional $800,000. This ensured that work would continue and that the unfinished structure could be protected through the winter months.
“We are not yet funded to complete the new school, but we’re getting there,” stated FOAFS Executive Director Alvera Sargent. “We appreciate the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Tribal Council for strongly supporting the Freedom School with this major capital project, with annual operational support and for helping us whenever we have questions or issues. Overseeing a project like this is new for us and has had its challenges. For our new school to be fully supported from within the Akwesasne community is an amazing outcome we hope to achieve” she continued.
“The relationship with Alvera and the school has been strong. While it has been a challenging time for the General Funds of the Tribe, Council and staff have worked with the FOAFS to identify funding sources to maintain and strengthen the school’s operations,” stated the Tribal Council. “We fully believe in the mission of the school and in the importance of safe, healthy and modern spaces for our young students.”