Heather Latter
Back in November, Fort High Grade 9 students Shelby King and Ryann Scott attended the “Healthy Futures Fair” hosted by the Voyageur Lions Club there.
Among the booths in the small gym were the Lions promoting the upcoming “Polar Plunge,” which takes place each New Year’s Day, as well as the Rainy River District Women’s Shelter of Hope in Atikokan.
That’s when the young duo decided they would take part in the “plunge” by jumping for the women’s shelter.
“I wanted to jump for a good cause,” noted King.
She said there are several well-known causes, such as cancer research, that people often support so she wanted to do something different.
“We wanted to jump last year . . . but weren’t really sure what to jump for,” she explained.
So when the pair visited the shelter’s booth, they knew they had found an organization they wanted to support.
“Not many people do anything to raise awareness about women abuse and violence,” King reasoned.
And the longtime friends are taking the task seriously.
“I’m not jumping into a freezing lake for $25,” King stressed.
The pair has been seeking donations from family and friends, and even going door-to-door, to garner as many pledges as possible.
Having already raised $1,000, they plan to continue their fundraising efforts for the next week.
“We want to raise more awareness and raise money for the shelter,” King remarked.
“When we tell them what we’re jumping for, people donate.”
Both girls said their parents are proud of them for choosing to support the shelter.
“When I told my mom we were jumping for this, she started to cry,” Scott noted.
Although they’ve never participated in the “Polar Plunge” before, King already said she wants to do it again next year.
“I feel it is worth jumping just to raise the money,” she explained.
“I’m so excited,” enthused Donna Kroocmo, executive director of the Women’s Shelter of Hope.
“I couldn’t be more pleased that young people recognize women’s issues,” she added.
“And it’s two young women—how fitting is that?
“When you talk to them, you see they are so refreshed, so open and honest, and have not had any trouble raising funds,” Kroocmo noted.
“They are not embarrassed about going out and doing it.
“I’m just very impressed,” she added. “They are our heroes right now.”
Kroocmo said it’s a dream of the shelter that more young people will support women’s issues.
“We have to begin to work with the next generation,” she reasoned.
“We’ve always worked with children through our child witness program, but it only goes up to the age of 16.
“These girls have no prior affiliation with [the shelter],” Kroocmo indicated. “It’s just a cause they saw that was unique and they wanted to work for abused women.
“I just think that is very exciting.”
King and Scott had asked for T-shirts with the “Shelter of Hope” logo on it, so they could wear them while they jumped. That way, those attending the “Polar Plunge” would very visibly know the organization they’re supporting.
Since the shelter does not have T-shirts, Kroocmo had two made especially for them, which she presented to them, along with a goodie bag, during a luncheon at Boston Pizza on Friday.
“No one has ever gone out of their way to raise funds for us,” Kroocmo stressed, noting donations to the shelter typically come from court-ordered fines.
“Most people like to donate clothes or furniture, they don’t give cash donations,” King noted.
“But cash can go towards [women] getting away from the negativity in their lives and start anew.”
Kroocmo said the funds they receive from the pair’s “Polar Plunge” jump will go into a donations account, which is used for all the extra things that aren’t covered by the core budget.
For instance, they had a woman in second-stage housing who wanted to become a certified yoga instructor.
She didn’t have the funds, so the Shelter of Hope helped with tuition by using funds from the donations account.
“She is one of the ladies doing successful now, years hence, because she was able to achieve her dream,” Kroocmo said.
“But she would never have been able to achieve her dream of getting that certification without the donation fund.”
In another case, a woman needed to move to southern Ontario where her family was, so the Shelter of Hope help pay for a U-haul so she could take her furniture with her.
“Woman sometimes feel that they actually need to leave the community to feel safe,” Kroocmo explained.
“[But] we don’t have moving expenses.
“What these girls are doing by jumping is going to help us be able to move women to get them to that safe place or help them achieve their dreams,” she remarked.
“That’s the kind of thing that really makes a difference for women,” Kroocmo continued. “We were able to go above and beyond the shelter, the food, the clothes.
“Once they have all that, they start to aspire to greater things.
“Only when we are able drag them out of that rut. . . .”
“That’s when they realize that their past doesn’t have to be a part of their future,” King finished.
“See, they get it,” Kroocmo enthused. “They understand what we’re trying to achieve.”
