Celebrating 20 years of keeping families safe
One of this area’s essential services will celebrate 20 years of being a safe haven for women and children who are the victims of domestic violence this month, and they will do it in Creemore.
My Friend’s House, which has serviced about 12,000 women and children since its inception, will celebrate the milestone on Saturday, March 3 at the Station on the Green, with a performance by Dan Needles at 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $20 and are available at Curiosity House Books. There will also be refreshments for purchase and silent auction.
Needles is, of course, the Nottawa-based author of the award-winning series of Wingfield plays. The cause is an important one for Dan; he also performed at the organization’s 10th anniversary celebration.
“My Friend’s House serves a great need in the community,” he said, adding that, though the subject is not a funny one, he will be attempting to amuse his audience. “When you get to know a place, you begin to feel affection for it and start looking after it. In our neighborhood, the ability to pull together and overcome crises is alive and well.”
Allison FitzGerald, who has been with My Friend’s House for 19 of its 20 years and now acts as the organization’s executive director, is proud of all that has been achieved. She’s also a realist about the ongoing challenges.
“The issues are not going away,” she said, “but the response and help that is available has improved.”
My Friend’s House is based out of Collingwood and Wasaga Beach. Their services, including a free, confidential crisis line, emergency transportation and short-term housing accommodations, are available at all hours, every day of the week.
“We can accommodate the needs of any woman that phones or walks through the door,” said FitzGerald, adding that the organization’s service area includes all of Clearview Township and beyond.
The shelter has a great local champion in Ursula Abbot of Village Builders, who, in addition to acting as treasurer for My Friend’s House, is part of the Creemore-based fundraising sub-committee that was instrumental in organizing the Dan Needles event.
Three years ago, with the help of a property donation and a grant from Status of Woman Canada, My Friend’s House initiated a pilot project called the Next Door Transitional Support Program for Woman, offering therapeutic counselling and a safe place to stay for up to one year. The new program allowed the My Friend’s House to move from crisis management alone to something more lasting.
“Over the years we have found that victims of abuse have difficulty moving forward,” said FitzGerald, noting that abuse makes it difficult for women to be optimistic about the future. “We help them to realize that there is hope.”
For more about My Friend’s House, visit their website at www.myfriendshouse.ca. If you are a woman in need of their services, call their 24-hour crisis and information line at 705-444-2511, or toll free at 1-800-265-2511.
