My Morning Musings |
 Under 18 raise $75 - get a free toque! Adults raise $150 - get a free toque! These are lovely! I have to say that there are times where my house gets me down... why isn't it more...??? Insert your WANTS here! However, my NEEDS are met! I do love my ancient old house set on 50 acres in rural New Brunswick! The only REAL problem with it (well according to me not an engineer...) is that our family is all so far away! When I do start to think about what I wish were different in my house, I catch myself, you see, not so many years ago, I was a single mom in a city where I could barely pay my rent, some months I didn't have it and I had to find help and repay it... I had to choose, do I spend my last $5 to A) drive my kids to school and daycare B) grab some milk and cereal C) forget being broke and get a Happy Meal for the kids to share and forget about my problems for awhile? I'll be honest, sometimes C was the choice and we layed on the floor with blankets and pillows and watched movies and the kids, hopefully, didn't realize how bad it really was! I am EXTREMELY grateful for the people in my community that helped us, that gave us physical, emotional and financial support - who did NOT let us become homeless! Most of us, are one to two pay day's from being busted ... and then what? Now with fuel being so expensive, transit that misses most parts of our province, food that we could barely afford - becoming even MORE expensive and landlords raising rents up to 400% when people struggled to start with... Well, it is time for ALL of us who have a warm safe roof over our head to help those who don't. I am actually starting to avoid using the word "homeless" because there is a connotation to the word that implies - people are without homes by choice and that is not exactly the truth! Of course there is the segment of the population that struggles with trauma, abuse, mental health issues and addictions that without support and treatment find living in a traditional home very difficult - for those people we need more resources and to work to help them from a holistic method that addresses all of their needs. They ARE people too! However, I have started to use the words "without homes" because as we are seeing in the news, in the emergency rooms and on the streets, many people are not without homes by "choice" or health and addiction issues, but they are "without homes" due to the economy, excessive rents and not being able to afford to get to and from work to get that pay! At We're Here For You - the mission is to help those who have entered an ER from sexual assault, domestic violence and intimate partner violence - and we know that the people who are living on the street are very vulnerable and also need help. Living on the street is not only cold (especially in New Brunswick!) but also unsafe and scary. We are putting a team together to walk or run the 2km or 5km on Saturday evening, February 25th to help raise fund for the Coldest Day of the Year National Fundraiser! We will be in the Fredericton, NB event but if you go to the link, you will find events all across Canada! Let's help those who need it. Let's be grateful for what we have, we can work towards improvement but we also need to be conscious that - if - we have a warm home, clothing and meals - we are very fortunate! Thank you for considering supporting this fundraiser and please feel free to JOIN our team or donate or both! You can sign up here to support us and this worthy cause! Thank you and if nothing else... please share this blog, post or email! (Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with all we do!) 
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 Anyone who has lived through a frightening experience, trauma, abuse, or war... doesn't need to watch a HORROR movie for a excitement! I used to love horror movies back in the '80's - my friends and I would rent a VCR and some VHS tapes and pull an all nighter! Yes, I am showing my age! But alas, to remember times of peace and freedom, surrounded by friends, that's a good memory. It feels sad as an adult, to realize the world wasn't as safe as I believed and that if anything, we are having to be even more cautious in our daily lives and our children will only know a world that requires always watching your personal safety... The last thing I want to imagine is someone watching me, following me or jumping out to surprise me! You can keep your horror movies, thank you very much! (Remember, if it wasn't OK for the stalker in the horror movie to do, it isn't ok for your significant other either!) January is Stalking Awareness Month - if you have ever been stalked, it's possible you are not tuning in to watch "Jason or Freddie!" In Canada, stalking is called Criminal Harassment and is a crime! Now, if you keep in mind some of the things that ARE stalking... You'll see what I mean about the horror movies! No one who has lived through abuse and fear needs to watch it for entertainment! At least not me! When a person is being "stalked" they may often be so used to the behaviours that they don't even see it as a crime anymore. When you have lived in a situation that requires hypervigilance, power and control, zero privacy... Well, let's just say, sometimes it takes a friend to notice it's "wrong" when you can't anymore! There are people to talk to.... "Here are some examples of Criminal Harrassment from the Federal Government website:
These are common examples. Such unwanted behaviour can be frightening and cause emotional distress. You can take action if this is happening to you. Contact the police to discuss your options." justice.gc.ca Please reach out to any of the resources we share on our website, Facebook and Instagram if you need help and support before reporting a crime. If it feels wrong, it is! Stalking IS A CRIME! Stalking IS ABUSE! Stalking IS TERRIFYING! Join us in recognizing that January is Stalking Awareness Month KNOW IT NAME IT STOP IT We as a project, continue to grow! We will be serving more hospital emergency rooms in the province and are partnering with new agencies! We can't wait to share more information! In the meantime, if you would like to help this project, and the patients of intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault, feel free to contact us! If you would like to join our newsletter/blog updates - please head to this link and go to the middle of the HOME page and hit NEWSLETTER subscribe! Below you will notice what we give to patients in the comfort kits and related needs - this is based on the nurses determination and we do not oversee that, we accept their decision making as to who would benefit from our support. You can also go to our AMAZON wish list and send in items if you like (the list is suggestions only as to the type of item needed and we will take more than quantity listed) or make e transfers to [email protected]
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Sarah Sherman - Founder of We're Here For You - Comfort Kit ProjectThe founder of this project, Sarah Sherman, felt compelled to help other women, children and young men - who find themselves seeking help after a sexual assault. From personal experience, Sarah knows the trauma of having to get help from the RCMP, going to the ER and the devastating experience of having to undergo a rape kit from a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) which can take several hours. The nurses are amazing, but nothing makes it feel any better. At the end of the exam, Sarah recalled what it was like to put on clothing that did not fit right, was inappropriate for herself and to walk out of the room with nothing. She wanted to do something that would make this recovery a little bit less intimidating for the next person. She hoped to help provide them with some dignity, respect and equality as they make their way through what will inevitably be a long journey of working through justice, healing and recovery. |
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