November is Woman Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and organizations around Fort Frances and the Rainy River District are working to support women and girls who find themselves the victims of abuse.
Jacquee Loerzel is a Community Family Violence Councillor with Riverside and helps coordinate the campaign locally.
“Shine the Light is a campaign that was begun by the London Abused Women’s Centre in London, Ont., it has been going on for a number of years now,” Loerzel said.
“November is Woman Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, so they started the campaign to promote awareness and prevention of woman abuse. It’s now pretty much a global or international event. Lots of places are sponsoring or hosting Shine the Light events throughout November.”
Throughout the month of November, various organizations have come together to raise awareness in the region including The Women’s Shelter of Hope, Riverside Health Care and the Town of Fort Frances which issued a proclamation, stating that the Town observes November as Woman Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month and raised the flag for the Shine the Light campaign at the Civic Centre.
On Thursday, Nov. 13, Pink Parasol Tea Room hosted a Tea and Scones fundraiser in support of the Riverside Health Care sexual assault department.
“It’s where they provide services and care for those sexual assault survivors that need attention at the hospital,” Loerzel said.
“If they need to complete sexual assault kits and those kinds of things or just needing sexual assault care in general.”
Loerzel says Jennifer Horton, owner of Pink Parasol Tea Room, previously known as Curvy Chick Boutique, has supported the campaign for a number of years.
“Jen from Pink Parasol, previously Curvy Chick, has actually been sponsoring events at her place for several years now,” Loerzel said.
“So she’s done a couple of different fundraisers. The last two years have been a scones and tea event, a couple of years before that, we’ve had a variety of other things that she has offered to do, and she’s always been a really wonderful sponsor of Shine the Light.”
Horton thanked those who supported the cause this year.
“Thank you to everyone who supported the event again this year,” she said.
“The shine the light campaign is a cause close to my heart and it means a lot that people came out to last weeks event. This year we raised more than last year so hopefully it continues to grow”
The Tea and Scones fundraiser raised $425 for the Sexual Assault Unit at LaVerendrye General Hospital.
Loerzel said she would like to thank those who supported the campaign this year including Mayor Andrew Hallikas and the Town of Fort Frances among others.
Loerzel says despite raising awareness, women and girls continue to be abused.
“It continues to be an epidemic, and we need to continue to have conversations about woman abuse,” she said.
“It’s an important part of one of our slogans, or mottos, for Shine the Light, ‘Break the silence that surrounds violence.’ So we want to keep conversations going. We want to continue to provide wrap-around services for those who experience woman abuse. Also, Shine the Light is also a time for us to stand up and stand with and support those who have experienced women abuse.”
