Students raise money to help fight domestic violence
She did what she needed to after finding out her boyfriend was doing drugs.
She reached out to his family to get him the help he needed and then Candyce Fiessel got out.
They’d been living together in the house they bought shortly after high school, so she found a new place to live. When it came time to move, she let him help.
“That one weak moment of letting him back in after I’d been strong — separated myself from the situation — could have ended my life,” recalled Fiessel.
The last thing she remembers from that night was going to bed. The next morning her sister and dad came looking for her and found her in the basement, ropes tied around her neck, wrists and ankles.
“I ended up having a central stroke due to lack of oxygen to the brain so I couldn’t walk, talk, eat or sleep,” she said.
Fiessel shared her story of surviving domestic violence and the long journey of recovery with students and staff at SheldonWilliams Collegiate at an assembly Friday.
It was one of the last events in a six-week campaign called the Night Light Initiative, which was organized by students in the Leadership 20/30 class to raise money and increase awareness of domestic violence.
“If you or someone that you know are being hurt emotionally, physically, sexually, male or female, don’t feel ashamed or that it’s your fault,” Fiessel told the crowd. “Being a victim of domestic violence does not define you.”
For the final event of the initiative, 150 students participated in the school’s third annual 24-hour fundraiser Awake-A-Thon starting at 8:30 a.m. Friday.
Sleepy-eyed students carried their sleeping bags to waiting parents Saturday morning after having stayed up all night playing laser tag and other activities to ward off slumber. Student Josh Anderson was among them.
“When we were nailing down what causes we wanted to choose, we had a couple students come out and share their stories and experiences with domestic and family violence and it was really eye-opening,” said Anderson.
Partnering with YWCA Regina, the students plan to use the money raised to launch the White Ribbon Campaign in Saskatchewan, which works to examine the root causes of gender-based violence and challenges outdated concepts of masculinity.
During the initiative, students also took part in workshops on toxic masculinity, healthy relationships and consent.
As of Saturday morning, the students had raised approximately $21,000 of their $25,000 goal. Donations are being accepted until Friday, June 8, at www.nightlightswc.com.
“I’m just so, so proud of them,” said leadership teacher Samantha Taylor. “A lot of people don’t think that teenagers can accomplish much. I think that if you have a little faith and believe in them and give them the encouragement they’ll amaze you.”