Mary Thomas,, beloved elder of the Shuswap nation, held the vision for creating The Shuswap Centre, Knucwetwécw, "Helping One Another" for many years.

Mary recognized the need to preserve and enhance the Shuswap language, culture, and to bridge understanding and co-operation between Native and non-Native people. Mary actively sought partners to work together to make The Shuswap Centre a reality.

In 1996, members of the Shuswap community and other supporters created an action plan that outlined the vision and goals for the centre which evolved into The Mary Thomas Cultural Centre and Heritage Sanctuary. Since Mary's passing in 2008, the Switzmalph Cultural Society,in partnership with many community organizations, have continued to build on those initial steps. In 2012, a series of groundbreaking collaborative initiatives will move the vision forward