The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough’s annual ‘Rebel with a Cause’ returns on Wednesday, July 12th to honour and recognize individuals who have shown advocacy and action to address social issues and inequalities, while also raising funds to support the work of the charitable organization.
For the first time in the event’s seven-year history, five ‘Rebels’ will be honoured: Faelen Dobbin, Betty Baker, Kathy Hardill, Peggy Shaughnessy, and Mkwa Ghiizis.
All are welcome to attend the evening event, which takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. in Nicholls Oval Park in Peterborough, with tickets costing $25. This year’s event will include live performances by Babe Chorus, a picnic dinner and desserts, a silent auction, a 50/50 draw, entertainment, and the award ceremony.
Honorees for Rebel with a Cause are nominated by Elizabeth Fry Society staff, who see first-hand the impacts made by the individuals, with nominees then voted on by the organization’s board.
Normally, three individuals are selected for the honour. Last year’s honourees were Indigenous knowledge leader Elizabeth Stone, Anishnaabe Kwe spoken word artist Sarah Lewis, and EFry volunteer and activist Marisa Mackenzie. This year, tthe organization had difficulty picking just three honourees.
“It was impossible to cut a couple people out — just impossible,” explains Elyssa Bisset, the society’s community central intake worker and Rebel with a Cause organizer. “The work that’s being done in the community right now is just phenomenal … it was an honour truly to be able to pick five of them this year. It wasn’t hard to find five deserving individuals.”
Bisset notes this year’s Rebels advocate for a wide range of social issues in Peterborough and the surrounding area.
“A lot of them speak to the different agents or different programs within the agency too, which is important because we have a lot of different types of work we do here,” she says.
One of the Rebels this year is very familiar with the diverse work done by the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough. A member of the 2Slgbtqia+ community, Faelen Dobbin is a regular volunteer for the society in addition to several other organizations across Peterborough, including PARN, Canadian Red Cross, One Roof Community Centre, and more.
They have been an activist and advocate for nearly three decades and have made contributions such as collaborating with local businesses to support community programming focused on food insecurity and mental illness.
Drag performer Betty Baker is a costume designer, dancer, and conceptual performer who is well-known for her regular “Drag Queen Story Time” events at the Peterborough Public Library. She also regularly speaks out on Queer issues and the importance of Queer storytellers.
“She has developed such a beautiful following here,” Bisset says. “We would love to see more of that sort of support in the community. So she felt like an obvious choice.”
Another obvious choice, explains Bisset, was Kathy Hardill, a primary care nurse practitioner and a founding member of Health Providers Against Poverty and the Street Nurses’ Network in Ontario. She has advocated politically for increased social assistance rates, harm reduction programs, safer shelter conditions, and affordable housing.
The fourth Rebel is Peggy Shaughnessy, an expert in rehabilitation psychology and founder of WhitePath Consulting. She developed the RedPath Approach, a pro-active approach to the opioid overdose epidemic, which is the programming being used for the women seeking abstinence-based healing through programming and residence at the Elizabeth Fry House.
“Our staff has seen first-hand the impact that her RedPath approach has made on people directly,” Bisset says.
The final Rebel is Mkwa Ghiizisl, a twi-spirit water protector, artist, advocate, and the founder of the Tweak Easy unsanctioned safe overdose prevention site. Ghiizisl does grassroots work organizing rallies, vigils, and marches focused on law-barrier access and supporting those experiencing systemic failures, those using drugs, and those engaged in sex work from an Indigenous harm reduction approach.
At the July 12th event, each of the nominated Rebels will be rewarded with a small gift in thanks for their contributions to the community.
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is encouraging the public to support Rebel with a Cause to be more accessible by donating a ticket to those experiencing financial barriers.
“People like to give back,” explains Bisset. “So, if they can’t attend, then they’d love for somebody else to go in their place and to enjoy the moment.”
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is a not-for-profit organization working to end the criminalization of poverty, mental health, addiction, and domestic violence. The funds raised from this event are essential for Elizabeth Fry to continue to offer relevant gender-responsive programming to those who have been victimized, criminalized, or institutionalized.
To purchase a ticket for the event, donate, or learn more about the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough, visit efryptbo.org. More information about Rebel With a Cause, including the silent auction, can be found on the Facebook event page or visit the society on Instagram @efryptbo.
