2024
Willow Place Spring 2024 E-News
Mother’s Day
RISK FACTORS FOR WOMEN
As we prepare to celebrate mothers this May, we are also acutely aware that violence against women remains the number one global human rights concern. Although all people, genders and cultures are welcome to reach out to Willow Place for violence prevention supports, the vast majority of those we help are women and children. Sadly, expectant mothers and mothers with young children face higher risk factors for intimate partner and family violence. When thinking of violence against women, it is important to know that most often the abuser or abusers are family members, intimate partners or close connections of the victim.
This Mother’s Day, please consider helping Willow Place sustain no-cost supports for women and children forced to flee violent situations. You can make a one-time donation, or become a monthly subscriber by clicking here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/27770
Summer Day Camp
DONORS AND GRANTS SUPPORT CHILDREN
Every year in late June through the month of August, Willow Place offers a summer day camp program for children in our violence prevention shelter program. This program is made possible thanks to annual staffing grants from Canada Summer Jobs. Willow Place also reaches out to recreation organizations and museums to provide enriching and educational options for the day camp. For most of our shelter children and their parents, these outings are a first-time experience.
Thanks to these exceptional organizations who have already pledged free admissions for summer day camp attendees: Royal Canadian Aviation Museum of Western Canada, Assiniboine Park Conservancy (Zoo and the Leaf), and the Manitoba Museum!
Willow Place is currently accepting job applications from university or college students who are returning to school in fall 2024. For info and to apply: https://ca.indeed.com/viewjob?cmp=Willow-Place-Inc&t=Camp+Counselor&jk=c53e68318b294188&xpse=SoDO67I3CQEo1twYoZ0LbzkdCdPP&xkcb=SoDd67M3D-KXJ4Qxmx0JbzkdCdPP&vjs=3
Staff Feature
MEET SHELTER PROGRAM TEACHER, MRS. S.
How long have you been in your current role?
I started with a half-time position in February, 2016. The Director and Board felt strongly that children should have full-time school, so they hired me on a contract basis to work with the children in the afternoons. In 2019, the Department of Education, now known as Inclusion Support Branch of Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning, funded the program full-time.
Please describe your typical work day in three words:
Awe-inspiring, Interactive, Safe
Why did you choose to teach in the shelter setting?
The principal of Interdivisional Student Services, Dee Smith, call me and offered an interview for the teaching role at Willow Place. We met at a Safeway and she drove me to Willow Place for a tour, to see if I was interested in the position. I went for the tour and, as they say, “the rest is history!” I have loved every day since then.
Have there been “aha” moments from teaching you can share?
I was teaching a grade three student who was behind in their reading. He was at a grade one level. We worked on learning the sounds of the letters using McCracken spelling. He said,”I didn’t know you could sound out words.” After working on the letters, he was able to start writing words and he was reading books by the time he left shelter.
What are the most challenging aspects of your work?
The most challenging aspect of my job is when children are turned off of school because of the trauma they are facing, being in a house where they have witnessed domestic violence, and the teacher does not understand. The beauty of our school is we work on helping children get their brains out of fight and flight mode, and into social engagement and their brains can learn again.
Who influenced your career choices as a student?
I cannot think of a particular teacher that influenced me, but I knew that I wanted to work with children.
Can you share a quote or song that inspires you?
“Find something you care about, and live a life that shows it.” – author unknown
Our shelter classroom and full-time teacher (grades K-8) is provided by Interdivisional Student Services, Winnipeg School Division, and funded by the Inclusion Support Branch (Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning).
THANK YOU, MRS. S. – WE’RE SO GLAD YOU ARE PART OF OUR TEAM!
Pink Walls
PERFORMER SUPPORTS VIOLENCE AWARENESS
In recent weeks, Willow Place was contacted by Canadian pianist and singer-songwriter, Esther Ling. Esther released her debut single, Pink Walls, and wanted to share it with violence prevention charities Canada-wide. The song is about the impact of violence upon children, and tells the story of trauma and recovery. In this poignant song, a young woman recalls the pink walls of her childhood bedroom where she hid from family violence.
Listen to Pink Walls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlYeveZBPxQ
About Esther Ling: https://www.estherlingpianist.com/
Follow Esther: https://www.instagram.com/estherlingpianist
Thank you, Esther for sharing your beautiful artistry with us! Watch for an upcoming public education series on our social media this June aligned the United Nations’ June 4 observance, International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (Child Victim Day), featuring the beautiful music and lyrics of Esther Ling’s, Pink Walls.
Spring Wellness
RAINBOW INSPIRATION FOR IMPROVED HEALTH
Spring is finally here and it is a great time to revisit wellness goals. When it comes to nutrition, more and more health promotion organizations are recommending “eating the rainbow” for improved well-being. Based on the Mediterranean diet consisting of an array of colourful vegetables and fruit, healthy fats and moderate, lean proteins, eating the rainbow has been shown to support immune and heart health, as well as healthy weight goals. Possibly you have heard the phrase, “we eat with our eyes” – enjoying food truly is a sensory process involving taste, scent, texture and sight. Beyond improved appearance and sensory aspects, selecting a wide variety of colourful foods helps to ensure that a healthy assortment of essential nutrients, vitamins, and fibre are present in the daily diet.
Want to learn more? Here are some helpful links to get started:
RAINBOW EATING BASICS: https://the-rainbow-diet.com/articles/the-colourful-mediterranean-diet/what-can-i-eat-on-the-real-rainbow-diet/
RAINBOW RECIPE BOOK: https://www.amazon.ca/Rainbow-Recipes-Inspired-Health-Benefits/dp/095653919X
Inspiring Community Support
PEGCITY STEPPERS COMBINE ACTIVE LIVING & ACTIVISM!
Earlier this spring, Willow Place was fortunate to receive very generous donation support from a Winnipeg active living group called PegCity Steppers. This group meets regularly to exercise and connect socially. Although they started as a BIPOC activity group, all cultures are welcome and invited to participate. All levels of fitness are also included and encouraged to participate. Members benefit in many ways, including through improved motivation and resulting fitness outcomes!
Aside from their dynamic healthy living focus, the Steppers also like to incorporate community support into their activities. On March 8th they hosted an International Women’s Day get-together, including a virtual presentation on Willow Place services and the topic of violence prevention. Those attending brought priority donations for Willow Place’s busy violence prevention shelter program, which were later delivered to our community outreach/flex office by PegCity Steppers founder, Shana, and member, Meridith.
We are so inspired by PegCity Steppers and are grateful for the awareness they raised. Additionally, their monetary gifts, and a large collection of toiletries, hygiene, and self-care items will greatly-benefit vulnerable populations in our shelter program.
How to Help
VIOLENCE PREVENTION – WE NEED CARING COMMUNITY
Increasingly, Willow Place relies upon both monetary and in-kind donations to sustain no-cost, 24-hour violence prevention supports for Manitobans in crisis. If you would like to help out, but are unsure what to do, there are many ways to offer support! No support is too small – every supportive action has potential to positively impact for those in need. Here are a few options and ideas:
- Follow us on social media – please like and share
- Subscribe to and read our quarterly e-news – share with your contacts
- Consider becoming a MONTHLY DONATION SUBSCRIBER – just $10 or $20 monthly can have a big impact for those in need, and subscriptions make great gifts as well! CLICK HERE!
- Check out our shelter program WISH LIST and call 204-615-0313, ext. 237 or ext. 231 to set up your donation drop-off appointment CLICK HERE!
- Purchase something on our AMAZON WISH LIST ((insert link here)) and contact us re: drop off (same as above) CLICK HERE!
- Donate gently-used towels or blankets for the shelter program
- Donate household items and clothing to our community partners, Centre Flavie-Laurent and The Helping Hand (these cannot be accepted at the shelter program due to space and staffing limitations)
Questions? Need more information? Call 204-615-0313, ext. 237 (weekdays, daytime)
2022
WILLOW PLACE NEWS – October 2022
AGM REFLECTIONS
Willow Place Executive Director, Marcie Wood
Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand hardship. It is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands. As I reflect on the past year, “resilience†is what comes to mind. Once again, Willow Place was faced with unprecedented challenges in the wake of the pandemic and the “shadow pandemic†(UN Women) that emerged. As we continued to navigate and adapt service delivery to maintain safe 24/7 residential and outreach programming, we were also challenged with an increased demand for our services. This demand as well as the complexities of delivering 24/7 programming resulted in further obstacles for the organization to overcome, however, these obstacles provided opportunity for the evolution of “Strength and growth that come only through continuous effort and struggle.†This courage and resilience is what truly defines our Willow Place team.
The impact of the pandemic was felt deeply by all, professionally and personally. Together, we experienced restrictions related to COVID-19 while we still persevered each day to end gender-based violence (GBV). Personal and organizational resilience is intertwined. What we practice daily, how we feel and act allows us to be motivated by certain thoughts, strategies and relationships while limiting others. While the pandemic has highlighted the increased need for partnership and collaborative capacity building, hiring, staff training, and service delivery that centers culturally inclusive, trauma-informed, survivor- and human-rights based perspectives, it also challenged us daily to remain committed to action based on respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. To achieve balance as well as maintain growth in an environment where all of these needs intersect requires an exceptional commitment from a resilient team.
The work we do is difficult and not one organization cannot do it alone. The spirit of partnership and collaboration is foundational to support coordinated services. Willow Place is grateful to be a member of a community network of corporate sponsors as well as agencies and funders who are committed to the perpetual enhancement of services available for these we serve.
As we leave one year behind and move onto the next I would like to, once again, honour the dedication, commitment, resiliency and growth of our organization. “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived†(Robert Jordan, the Fires of Heaven).
SUMMER DAY CAMP
Another successful program wraps up
Willow Place was fortunate to receive grant funding from Canada Summer Jobs again this year, helping to fund summer day camp staffing. This year, we were fortunate to hire two University of Manitoba social work students, Norien and Patricia.
Patricia shared the following highlights of her work experience with Willow Place:
“Working closely with children, it’s inevitable that one will form bonds with them. I remember one morning just when I arrived, one of the kids ran up to me with excitement and said “Hey friend, I went to the classroom and it was locked; now that you are here can you go open it†… to me that statement was heartwarming as well as felt special. Other highlights were personal skills enhancement, knowledge acquisition and abilities realization through supporting children’s creative and recreational skills. Patience and consistency yields great results when working with children. Overall, the summer day camp was rewarding and fun!â€
Norien shared the following personal reflection:
“The most interesting experience I’ve had while working as a day camp worker is seeing how the unique personality of every child always shined through in a matter of a few minutes. The children have taught me how listening goes a long way when it comes to establishing respect and trust in a relationship. Patricia who taught me the importance of communicating and planning, which resulted in the creation of an environment in our day camp that was welcoming, respectful, and fun. Patricia and I hope that the short time we spent with the children at day camp will be something they can remember when they grow older. Whether it be about the friends they’ve made, the outings we went on, or any feelings they were able to express and let out due to their comfort in our room and the people that they were interacting with. I hope that every child that we have had the pleasure of working with this summer had a positive and memorable experience that they can utilize to become the most amazing versions of themselves.†Special thanks to community donors who provided passes for individual and group admissions this summer: Manitoba Children’s Museum, Goldeyes Baseball Club, Manitoba Museum, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. For the majority of our shelter participants, these donations allowed for first-time experiences – we valued and appreciated your generosity!
VOLUNTEER SUPPORTS
Updated training program launch
After a two-year hiatus, Willow Place is thrilled to have volunteers on-site once again. We have maintained a waiting list of prospective volunteers during this time, and in September and November 2022 volunteer training is commencing, with those on the waiting list.
Our volunteer training program has been updated and streamlined to include virtual and in-person components. We have also expanded volunteer opportunities to include shelter support, donations support, maintenance assistance, special event volunteering, and cultural supports. We look forward to welcoming new volunteers to a variety of roles in the weeks and months ahead. All volunteers are interviewed and must obtain criminal records back-checks with vulnerable sector search. For those accepted into our training program, Willow Place is able to provide no-cost adult and child abuse registry applications.
For more info, Willow Place Community Team (Shannon): [email protected]
Phone: 204-615-0313, ext. 224 (weekdays, daytime hours)
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
Caring community makes a world of difference!
Each year Willow Place must fundraise to meet operational funding gaps, and to effectively respond to changing community needs. Current priorities for Willow Place include food security funding, cultural and wellness support funding, as well as replacement funding (shelter facility supplies and furnishings). On the horizon is a capital campaign to support a new facility with expanded service and support capabilities – demand for family violence prevention services continues to grow, and the needs include transitional housing.
A growing area of support for Willow Place is third party fundraising. Throughout the pandemic, the creativity of community members and organizations was inspiring, as they hosted a wide variety of events to raise both awareness and much-needed dollars for Willow Place. Both service needs and costs continue to increase, and we are witnessing more acute needs among program participants. As such, the support of caring community is particularly precious, and allows us to sustain valuable services for vulnerable populations.
If you are interested in hosting a fundraising event or donation drive, please reach out to us for information:
Phone: 204-615-0313, ext. 237 (weekdays, daytime hours)
Email: [email protected]
How YOU can help
Every connection matters
There is an added layer of comfort when a friend, co-worker, or other supportive person recommends a service. For Willow Place, community and agency sharing and partnership is important. Many of the populations we serve have mistrust of others due to experiences of abuse, neglect and racism.
Commonly, family violence survivors will downplay their hardships and the abuse. Like the tip of an iceberg, what is disclosed or witnessed is typically a snap shot or small part of their full experience. It is important to not underestimate the value of listening without judgment, and the positive impact of a kind word of encouragement.
One reason that many victims of family violence and abuse do not seek help, is that they are not aware of no-cost supports available to them. If someone discloses family violence or abuse, it can feel uncomfortable for those receiving the information, and although they are sympathetic and concerned, supportive friends and family may be unsure what to say or do. If someone discloses family violence or abuse:
- LISTEN and BELIEVE the person
- Express CONCERN for their wellbeing
- Let them know about supportive RESOURCES
- DO NOT JUDGE them
Willow Place provides inclusive no-cost supports for diverse family violence prevention needs in Manitoba – 24-hours, every day. Any person, any gender can call the crisis support line for information and to access supports such as emergency shelter and counselling:
1-877-977-0007 (this 24-hour line directs callers to the closest family violence resource in Manitoba)
204-615-0311 (Winnipeg local – call 24-hours for Willow Place supports and information)
204-792-5302 (text-only line, for information and support in Manitoba)
