My Morning Musings |
Heather and I have been very active this month attending events, raising awareness and presenting what we do and my personal story during this month of November and Family Violence Prevention. We continue to shout from the rooftops - STOP THE SILENCE! END GENDER BASED VIOLENCE! We started day 1 - supporting Sanctuary House in Woodstock as they LIT THE NIGHT PURPLE to raise awareness and I, will end the last day presenting my full story at Intimate Partner Violence Forum hosted by Lisa Jonsson, Regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Coordinator, Fredericton. This event will be to police personnel, nurses, and those who work with survivors in the field. This work is important and exhausting. It is rewarding to see so many people put effort into attempting to ERADICATE and END this EPIDEMIC of Gender Based Violence. It is also exhausting to know that the numbers are rising - is there MORE violence or are we getting through to people and providing them with the encouragement to reach out for help? I think it is a combination. I was horrified to learn on November 1, 2023 at the light up, from the Woodstock Police Chief that the numbers of IPV reports had risen by 47% since January 1st! This is a SMALL town and in only 305 days, they had received 263 calls for help. At the same time, I am motivated to hear that 263 people had the COURAGE to call for help! We continue to work. We continue to attend events to spread the message - YOU ARE NOT ALONE! THERE IS HELP! And, we continue to provide supports to those who need it without any judgement. As we reach the 2nd year anniversary of the first day I started to really share my story, and to raise funds and supplies to support victims who are patients at the hospital emergency room after an examination, the need continues to grow. We are serving more hospitals, making more connections and have other provinces who need this program. The only way we can achieve that and break the ground work to make it easier to provide those supports - is to reach charitable non-profit status. We can't stop. We won't stop. Thank you all, for the support you have provided. Thank you for the opportunities to share. Thank you for the connections made. We are NOT done and we NEED to grow. However you can help, through our campaigns, attending events, following and sharing our social media accounts - it ALL matters. We are excited for 2024 and the growth we are having, the events for youth - to help them do better earlier and have increased opportunities to understand what healthy relationships are. Together - we CAN change the world! Much love, Sarah and Heather
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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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