Riverside Health Care and the Rainy River District Women’s Shelter of Hope have launched the annual, purple-themed Shine the Light campaign to raise awareness of and promote an end to woman abuse.
In support of the monthlong campaign, the Town of Fort Frances proclaimed November as Woman Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and marked the occasion Wednesday morning by raising a Shine the Light flag at the Civic Centre.
“Campaigns like Shine the Light remind us that community involvement plays a vital role in creating change,” Jacquee Loerzel, Community and Family Violence Counsellor with Riverside Community Counselling Services, said in a press release.
“When we wear purple, we show survivors that they are seen, supported, and not alone. It’s a small gesture with a powerful message, that together, we can help build safer, more compassionate communities.”
The campaign was developed by the London Abused Women’s Centre in London, Ont., but has grown into an international initiative. It embraces the colour purple as a symbol of “courage, survival, and honour – a reminder of the strength shown by survivors and the importance of standing together as a community.”
Throughout this month, campaign posters will be distributed across the district and supporters are encouraged to wear purple and decorate their homes, workplaces and storefronts on Nov. 15. Participating in Wear Purple Day is “an opportunity for everyone to come together in solidarity and spark important conversations about ending violence against women and gender-based violence,” Riverside Health said.
Local businesses taking part in Shine the Light activities include the Pink Parasol Tea Room, which will host a tea and scones fundraiser on Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $15, with preorders available online at thepinkparasoltearoom.com.
For more information about the Shine the Light campaign or to obtain posters, contact Riverside Community Counselling Services at 807-274-4807 (ext. 1).
