Sto:lo initiative means business – Chilliwack Times

Apr 24, 2014

Linda Kay Peters has worked in the health department of the Seabird Island First Nation for 25 years.

For the last 15 of those years, she has also worked hard to develop her own aboriginal fashion design business, Ringing Bell Robes. And last fall, Peters got a serious boost when she was invited to showcase at the New York Couture Fall Fashion Week.

“This was the first time that this internationally recognized showcase event included aboriginal designers, and the resulting exposure opened my eyes to the possibility that I could dedicate more of my time to my passion for design,” Peters said.

A new business initiative recently launched by Sto:lo Community Futures (SCF) is designed to further help Peters and local First Nations entrepreneurs like her.

Sto:lo Means Business will provide training and financial literacy skills, access to micro-loans, and access to markets and investors through partnerships with the Bank of Montreal, Vancity and the private sector.

The micro-lending program will give loans of up to $10,000 to aboroginal business start-ups, and other entrepreneurs looking to expand.

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