Gladys Cook, a native Anglican from the Sioux Valley Reserve, was among 12 recipients of the Order of Manitoba, conferred by Lt. Gov. John Harvard last July 15.

Ms. Cook suffered at a residential school that she attended between the ages of four and 16 and this experience led her to help native women, addicts, prisoners and survivors of abuse.

The Order of Manitoba is given annually to Manitobans who have "achieved excellence in any field resulting in outstanding benefits to the social, cultural or economic well-being of the province and its residents."

A respected First Nations Dakota elder for 18 years, Ms. Cook, 74, has been a volunteer and mentor to troubled aboriginal youth and adults for nearly three decades.