Heather Latter
FORT FRANCES—The “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” self-esteem and empowerment retreat for young women has made it to the semi-final round of the Aviva Community Fund competition.
“I thought it was pretty exciting how the community rallied together—from my friends to complete strangers who all of sudden were really believing in the program,” enthused retreat director Renée Martin-Brown of Emo.
“They wanted to see it succeed as much as I did,” she added, noting by the end of the second online voting round, the idea had 880 supporters.
“On social media, it was amazing to see ‘shares’ and the ‘likes,’ and the response that validated how important the program really is.”
The retreat, which ran for the first time Sept. 26-29 at Hanson’s Hideaway Lodge in Nestor Falls, will be vying for a share of the $1 million being offered when the semi-final round of online voting begins Dec. 2.
“We gained so much momentum,” Martin-Brown remarked, noting the retreat finished in first place in its budget category.
“We had some tough competition,” she added. “They weren’t giving up without a fight, that’s for sure.”
Before the semi-final round gets underway, there still is a third—and final qualifying round—where 30 more ideas will join the “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” in the semi-finals.
One of those ideas has been submitted by Knox United Church here, which is seeking funds to help build an elevator to make the building more accessible.
Voting for that round begins Monday (Nov. 11).
After that round is complete, the top 90 ideas (30 from each of the three rounds) then will compete in another online vote from Dec. 2-11.
Thirty of those ideas will become the finalists, with a panel of judges then reviewing the ideas to determine which ones will receive funding.
The winning ideas will be announced Jan. 28.
“We just need to keep the momentum going,” Martin-Brown stressed.
“We need support from the whole district, as well as Northwestern Ontario.”
Since the retreat is held in a central location, with participants attending from Red Lake and Dryden, she’s hoping the region will jump on board.
“The girls will discover more about themselves while participating in various workshops throughout the weekend,” Martin-Brown said, noting these include drama, music, visual arts, yoga, creative writing, Internet safety, and healthy cooking.
She indicated winning a portion of the Aviva prize money would help to ensure the retreat continues for many years to come.
“Funding would help to bring in qualified educators and presenters, as well as to help offset the cost of having a social worker on site for the whole weekend and not just one afternoon,” she explained.
“Funding would also help to offset the cost of the retreat so that it would be more affordable for parents, opening up more opportunities for girls in the district to participate,” she added.
Martin-Brown said she wants to thank everyone who voted for the retreat.
“I really think we can do it,” she enthused. “I have a really good feeling about it.”
Visit www.avivacommunityfund.org for more information.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
