For half a century the Dauphin Friendship Centre (DFC) has been enhancing the quality of life in the community.

Incorporated in 1974 as one of 11 friendship centres in Manitoba, the DFC celebrated its 50th anniversary as a not-for-profit, charitable organization, recently.

The organization’s mission “to enhance the quality of life for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the community by working together to provide quality programs and services to meet the needs of our membership and the community at large”, has been largely met throughout the last five decades and will continue to be the focus in the future, said Susie Secord, who has been with the DFC since the beginning and is currently volunteering as the organization’s general manager until a new executive director can be recruited.

“We have come a long way since the first few years certainly,” Secord said.

“I remember when this building was purchased and it was the Beaver Lumber building. The back area was nothing more than a great big garage where the lumber was stored and the big trucks would come in and pick up. Now it’s a hall. The front part of the building was just an open area with offices along the wall.”

That kind of evolution only comes through a lot of hard work, Secord said, and a lot of people have committed themselves to the success of the DFC over the years.

“I’m really proud of our staff and everyone involved, she said.

“Our volunteers, it really warms my heart when I see the number of volunteers that we have, particularly for our hot lunch program. They’re faithful, they come back year after year and it’s a huge commitment. We couldn’t ask for a better group of volunteers really.”

Read the full story in this week’s edition of the Dauphin Herald.