‘The courage of a woman alone is not enough’
Community encouraged to wear purple scarves, ties throughout November
‘‘ What we say is the courage of a woman alone is not enough. So we wrap our women in courage. TANJA LOEB Gillian’s Place executive director
It’s a simple act but it can have such a big impact.
That’s the premise behind the annual Wrapped in Courage campaign which encourages community members to don purple scarves or ties to bring awareness to the fact that November is Woman Abuse Awareness Month.
“Women who are experiencing domestic violence often feel very alone, it’s so important for them to know that their community supports them,” said Nicole Regehr, community development and public relations manager with Gillian’s Place.
“So wearing a purple scarf, wearing a purple tie, it’s a very simple act. It’s something very simple that people can do that sends a very loud message; that we support you, we will not tolerate violence against women in our community.
“It’s important that we continue to do this, not just this month which is women abuse prevention month, but all year, every year.”
More than 60 shelters across
Ontario are participating in the Wrapped in Courage campaign, including Gillian’s Place, which was one of the province’s first shelters for abused women and children. The organization, which serves St. Catharines and north Niagara, provides safe
refuge and non-residential programs, including emergency shelter, counselling, legal advocacy, outreach and prevention.
Executive director Tanja Loeb said the purple scarf is a symbol of the courage it takes for a woman to leave her abuser.
“What we say is the courage of a woman alone is not enough,” she said. “So we wrap our women in courage. The scarf is symbolic of that.”
Each year, as part of the campaign, there are new purple scarves available for purchase. On Tuesday, Gillian’s Place hosted its pancake breakfast campaign kickoff in Market Square.
The downtown St. Catharines event saw Gillian’s Place board members and volunteers serving up a sausage and pancake breakfast prepared by students and chefs from Niagara College’s Benchmark Restaurant, coffee from Starbucks, and purple scarves or ties for a minimum $15 donation.
This year’s design is a purple scarf featuring white writing. The message is “The courage of a woman alone is not enough” with the words give, believe and inspire encircling a heart.
“For us (that message is) really important, because woman abuse is not just a woman’s problem; it’s everybody’s problem. One in four woman are abused and as a society, as a community, we need to wrap our women in courage and help them to find the courage to make a change in their life.”
The scarves will be available for purchase at Meridian Credit Union branches across Niagara throughout November.