The Lucknow Sentinel, 1998-10-21, Page 8Page 8-- Lueknow Sentinel, Wednesday, October 2t,1998
Night in New Orleans fundraiser heips
Women's Rouse reach $95,000 goal for 1998
Statistics Canada tells us that only six percent of
abused women stay in shelters. Yet shelters in Ontario
;are regularly full beyond capacity. Somewhere between
25 to 50 per cent of women have experienced physical
or sexual abuse at the hands of their marital. or corn -
111011.14W partners.
Women's Rouse of Bruce County is •a. place where
all women and children who arc experiencing abuse .
can come for help. Women's .Douse is also available to
women experiencing a housing crisis.
But, Wornen's House offers more services than most
people are 'aware of. Besides offering temporary, safe ..
Mousing for abused women and children, there are
extensive counseling services for women offered in five
eorninunities, free of charge. These communities
include; Kincardine, Hanover, Walkerton Chesley and,
Port Elgin. Wome n need only phone the shelter to book
a. confidential appointment. Support groupsare also
suffered in these communities fair women who have
experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
Studieshave shown that children who witness abuse
in the home are severely affected. More than 30 per
cent of children who witness family violence will grow
up to be abusers or victims of continued abuse. For this
reason Women's House employsa full :dine .Child .and
Youth Counselor who works with the children in the
shelter as well as with s hildren in public and high
schools in the county. Healthy dating, ,anger manage -
Men( and respect fur self and others are some of the
topics vovered. in the. schools.
Ones of the most used services offered is the 24 hour
coufidentiai support crisis line. Somewhere between
100 - 200 calls come in every month. There is always .a
trained counselor there seven daays a week to answer
these eel's and to give the help needed by, the culler.
Often callers are given information of other agencies in
theircommunity who may also be helpful, All callers
are helped in the, most supportive way possible.
If you would like to heap out with the many services
provided at Women's House, you can join the many
volunteers who give generously of their time there.
Volunteers help with such •tasks as child care, office
ditties and driving. Training is provided by the vulun-
Leer• co-ordinator so that volunteers can have a better
understandingof the people they are supporting as well
as shelter policies.
$95,0 needed
However, in order to keep these vital services run-
ning, Women's House will need to fundraise. $95,000
this year • the highest amount ever required since their
opening in 1984. With pruvineial government cutbacks
being experienced, the Fund Development Committee
is required to ask the community for more support each
year.
With this in'mind, the second anneal "Night in New
Orleans" fund-raiser is set to be held on Oct. 24 at the
Davidson Centre. Although thedinner tickets have sold
"out extremely quickly, there are still dray tickets avail-
able. Draw tickets, priced at $25 give you the chance to
win an exiting trip for two to New Orleans! Second and
third prizes include gift certificates for dinner for two at
local dining establishments. . .
To purchase your draw ticket or to find out more
about the shelter, call Women's House at 396-9814.
Women's :House would also like to take this opportu-
nity to thank the many supportive people in ottr county
who have helped out in so many ways. Please continue
to help u's reach our goal of a society where we are all
safe, respeeted and valued as individuals,
IMA INE FINDING A B NKER
WHO UNDERSTANDS YOUR SMALL BUSINESS.
STOP LAUGHING, WE'RE SERIOUS.