Presenters at #CYM2022

JoLee Sasakamoose

2022 Sunderland P. Gardner Lecture
Guided by Ancestors: Integrating Ojibwe Teachings with Quaker Testimony for Social Action

Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose is an Anishinabe (Ojibwe) from Michigan and Ontario with membership in M’Chigeeng First Nation and is an active citizen of Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.  She is affiliated with Red Cedar Friends in Michigan and Western Half-Yearly Meeting in Canada. Dr. JoLee is the Wellness and Research Director of the Muskiki Muskwa Medicine Bear Healing Lodge and Peer Advocacy Services part of the Indigenous Wellness Research Community Network (IWRCN), a partnership with Wellness Wheel Medical Clinic.

The IWRCN assists people in Treaties 4 and 6 recover from the residues of historical and intergenerational traumas related to colonization, residential schools and the ongoing genocidal practices in Canada today. IWRCN offers a training ground for practicum students from various professions, including counselling, social work, medicine, nursing, policing, education and a host of many others. Peer Health Advocacy services and training support with the Canadian Mental Health Association ensure the capacity building is locally-driven and resourced.

Dr. JoLee formerly served as the Research Director for the Wellness Wheel Medical Clinic. She engages with researchers and a clinical team to provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment at health centers and within First Nation partner communities. Dr. JoLee facilitates collaboration between Indigenous people and healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to enhance health care and access. The Indigenous Wellness Research Community Network, funded by numerous agencies, unites service providers around a framework of cultural responsiveness recognizing historical trauma as a critical determinant of Indigenous health (TRC, 2015). Via Indigenous community engagement, knowledge exchange, clinical intervention, education and outreach, her team ensures the use of quality research that specifically affects the public health of First Nations, Metis and Indigenous peoples in Saskatchewan and beyond.

Colin Saxton

Bible Study
The Transforming Power of Mercy

Colin Saxton and his wife, Janine, are Quakers from Newberg, Oregon, and are members of North Valley Friends. They are parents of four grown children and two grandchildren. 

For the past 35 years, Colin has served the Friends community in various roles – pastor, adjunct professor, Yearly Meeting superintendent, and General Secretary of Friends United Meeting. He has had the privilege of serving as a board member for many organizations and traveled the world visiting and teaching among Friends. In 2018, Colin joined Everence as a Stewardship Consultant and national liaison among Quakers. In 2021, he moved to part-time with Everence to return to Friends United Meeting as their Advancement Officer and North American Ministries Director.

Colin received his M.A. from Eastern Mennonite Seminary and D.Min. in leadership and spiritual formation from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. He has published books through Friends United Press and numerous articles. His deepest joy arises in seeing communities of faith join together to know, love, and follow the Living Christ.

Marcelle Martin

Pre-CYM Retreat
Supporting One Another in Faithfulness

Marcelle Martin served for years as a Quaker studies teacher and spiritual nurturer at Pendle Hill. A graduate of the Shalem Institute Program on Spiritual Guidance and the School of the Spirit’s program on Contemplative Living and Prayer, Marcelle has traveled widely to lead workshops and retreats. 

Marcelle works with Friends and their monthly meetings to deepen awareness of God at work within and among them. She is a core teacher of the 9-month program Nurturing Faithfulness (co-sponsored by NEYM and Woolman Hill Retreat Center.) She is the author to two books, Our Life is Love: The Quaker Spiritual Journey, and A Guide to Faithfulness Groups.  She has also written three Pendle Hill pamphlets, Holding One Another in the Light (PHP #382), Invitation to a Deeper Communion (PHP #366),  and A Culture of Faithfulness (PHP #462).  Her blog, “A Whole Heart,” is at www.awholeheart.com.