An Abbotsford woman’s treasured doll that survived the November 2021 floods will be part of an exhibit in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Cindy Dueck is loaning the doll to the one-day installation – titled Protect What We Love: Artifacts from Floods and Wildfires in Canada – being presented by Sierra Club Canada.
The exhibit takes place during the UN General Assembly High Level Week and New York Climate Week.
A press release states the purpose of the show is to highlight “the costs of climate change, and the urgent need to act to protect what we love.”
The exhibit features artifacts – from family heirlooms to everyday household items – sourced from people across Canada who have been impacted by wildfires, flood or hurricanes.
Dueck, a married mom of four, said she was contacted by the Sierra Club after the organization came across an online news article about her childhood toys being restored by a local company after the flood.
The family's property on Sumas Prairie was impacted during the November 2021 flooding disaster, when about five feet of water filled their home, garages and barn.
The extensive damage they suffered included a precious vintage doll collection that had been passed down to Dueck from her mom, Bettina Driessen, after her death in 2010.
Dueck said the collection featured about 25 dolls her mom had collected over the years. The only one that survived the floods was from the Madame Alexander set of Dionne Quintuplets produced in 1936.
Her mom had wanted to collect all five dolls, but was only able to locate the one named for Marie Dionne – an apropos find, as Dueck’s middle name is Marie.
The Sierra Club asked her if she wanted to share something that was special to her for the exhibit in New York, and Dueck thought "Marie" would be a perfect addition.
“The doll was very important to me as I remember finding it with my mom at an antique shop. She would take us to flea markets and thrift shops for fun,” she said.
Dueck said her family’s home and property has been cleaned up and rebuilt since the flood, and they are now “moving forward.” But the doll serves as a lasting memory of that time.
Sierra Canada says the exhibit highlights the emotional and financial losses of people impacted by climate disasters.
“The exhibit offers a poignant reminder why Canada must urgently cap rising oil and gas emissions that are contributing to more extreme and more intense heatwaves, floods, fires and droughts in Canada and around the world.”
Visit protectwhatwelove.ca for more about the exhibit.
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