Promoting awareness about family violence

Times Reporter

 

November, Prevention of Family Violence month, is only a week away which means the Community Crisis Society annual dinner and auction is coming up fast. 

The 18th annual dinner and auction fundraiser takes place on Nov. 3 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Centre. The theme this year is ‘Join us on our journey to end domestic violence.’ The evening will be travel themed to align with everyone taking a journey together said Executive Director Karen Pease. New this year is the introduction of the shopping list. 

“Some of the feedback we got from people who have attended our auction is that they wanted an alternative to support our shelter in a way that was tangible. In a way that we could use it towards operations and good idea to what we needed that for, so we created a shopping list based on that request,” said Pease.

The Crisis Society is not fully funded and relies on community support for things like operations and food, and equipment for the building, which is just one reason why there is an annual gala. 

“The support goes a long way to enabling us to offer the programs and service that we do to our residents that come in. We’ve had an increase in the usage of the shelter and we’ve also had, of course, inflation hit us. We have to make up those shortfalls in funding and the way we do it is part of it is the gala and part of it is relying on donations,” said Pease.

She said it is incredible the continued support the shelter has had from different businesses, and the community over the years.

Pease said the issue of family violence is starting to come out of the shadows and people are being made more aware of what family violence really is. She and the staff at the Community Crisis Society would love to see every month dedicated to creating awareness to family violence of course, but are happy that the province has proclaimed November as Prevention of Family Violence month.

The Society works with the whole family, from children to men who have been charged with abuse and are looking changing their abusive ways. Pease said they are looking at ways of offering it into the Strathmore area.

Tickets are $50 each and can be ordered online at www.crisis-society.eventbrite.ca or by calling the office at 403-934-6634 for help with the process.