The Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN) has donated $14,816.97 to the YWCA Peterborough Haliburton in support of the YWCA Crossroads Shelter for women and children fleeing violence and abuse.
WBN president Diane Wolf along with program directors Tracy Minnema and Sandra Wilkins presented a cheque to Ria Nicholson, lead philanthropic advisor with YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, on Wednesday (January 11).
The funds were raised in December at WBN’s annual holiday gala, where members of the networking organization have come together for more than 30 years to support the YWCA Crossroads Shelter. For the second year in a row, people from the community were also able to add to the fundraising by participating in an online auction.
“Being able to partner with the YWCA on this initiative year after year is an integral part of our commitment to supporting women,” says Wolf in a media release. “We are so thankful for our members, volunteers, and everyone who donated an auction item to help us provide 229 safe nights for our sisters in the community. Once again, many small businesses in our community stepped up to support this cause despite the challenges they have faced the past few years.”
WBN’s donation supports the YWCA’s Safe Nights Program at Crossroads Shelter, which provides emergency shelter, meals, counselling and personal care supplies for women and children.
One safe night at YWCA Crossroads Shelter costs $64.65, beyond what government funding provides, and includes everything from the physical safety of a private room and 24-hour support, to nutritious meals, linens, clothing, and personal care items.
“The Women’s Business Network is such an important organization in our community,” says YWCA Peterborough Haliburton executive director Kim Dolan. “The strong support amongst members extends beyond their meetings to impact so many other women in the Peterborough area. The proceeds of the December 2022 WBN Holiday Gala send a strong message to women in our region who experience gender-based violence — you are seen, you matter, you are not alone. On behalf of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton and the women we serve, thank you.”
According to the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, 52 women in Ontario were killed between November 2021 and November 2022 as a result of violence by an intimate partner or family member. Violence against women had also intensified throughout the pandemic, because of factors including increased isolation and lack of available services and with abusers’ tactics becoming more violent and complex.
On any one night, more than 6,000 Canadian women and children sleep in shelters because they are not safe at home.
