Campaign raising money to assist kids in shelters
EDMONTON A fundraising campaign led by Alberta’s Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) will allow more women’s shelters access to front-line workers trained in a children’s intervention program, the group says.
The women’s charitable organization announced its goal on Tuesday to raise $100,000 to support the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ (ACWS) Children’s Curriculum program. The intervention program is offered to children and mothers fleeing domestic violence. If successful, the money will go toward training more than 650 front-line workers in the program.
Pat Garrett, executive director of WINGS of Providence, said shelters wouldn’t be able to provide this kind of training alone.
“This extra funding to provide this education and training is essential,” she said. “We couldn’t do it on our own.”
WINGS is a second-stage shelter in Edmonton that offers 20 apartments for women and children fleeing domestic violence. The organization also offers 29 affordable-housing apartment units.
Garrett said families need a lot of support when they turn to a shelter for help and that requires a lot of training.
“I think training is essential,” she said. “It just helps us provide good quality service.”
Jan Reimer, executive director of ACWS, said many people may not know that women often flee domestic violence with children, a number estimated to be around 5,000 per year in Alberta. She said having additionally trained frontline workers will make a huge difference.
“Nobody goes to school to be a shelter worker,” she said. “We need specialized training. Domestic violence is often forgotten in many of the professional curriculums we have in this province. Having that knowledge about practical interventions that work with children can be life-changing.”
According to ACWS, Alberta has one of the highest domestic-violence rates in the country. A report on women’s shelters by ACWS showed nearly two-thirds of women entering shelters — roughly 65.9 per cent — are at severe or extreme risk of being killed by their partner. The number of women, children, and seniors turned away from shelters across Alberta nearly doubled over the course of a year, according to the report.
Last year, ACWS trained 149 frontline workers on the children’s curriculum.
Valerie Braiden, president of
Having that knowledge about practical interventions that work with children can be life-changing.
IODE Alberta, said she believes the $100,000 will make a difference to both families and children who are traumatized by violence and abuse.
“It will be our gift to them,” she said. “Child welfare has been a focus of IODE throughout the country for a long time. Every community has been concerned about children’s welfare and their education.”
Over the course of the year, IODE, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, will host a variety of fundraising activities including a quilt raffle in order to meet its goal. Individuals can also make donations on IODE’S website. IODE will also be contributing some of its casino funds toward the goal.
For more information, email IODE at iodealberta@gmail.com or call 403-264-4663 or 1-877-2158552.