Lowering barriers in Saanich.

Dear Saanich,

At The Cridge Centre for the Family, they say that “Love is the Bottom Line”. Last summer I witnessed that attitude in action with the Brain Injury program and staff. This week, I saw that same compassion and commitment on a tour of the Cridge Transition House for Women.

Abusive relationships often create a dynamic that so utterly disempowers the abused that they cannot see any way out. Many abused women face a fear of repercussions from the abuser, a fear of losing rights or access to children, or a fear of entering (or re-entering) the workforce. These fears, combined with the other dynamics of big life changes can be debilitating. Transition Houses offer connections to community services, on-site counselling and - most importantly - safety for women (and their children) taking that huge step towards a better life.

Left to Right: Shannon Whissell (Fund Development), Lana,
Erika (Lana's staff), Candace Stretch (Assist. Mgr) and
Marlene Goley (Manager Women's Services)

On Monday, the managers of Women’s & Family Services and of Communication & Fund Development took time from their very busy schedules to educate me about the program’s successes and challenges. Housed in a big, 100 year old farm house, this team manages to pull together a very comprehensive home environment on what can only be called a shoe-string budget. They receive minimal funding from public sources, and their fund raising team is always hard at work seeking donations from private sources.

While the transition house movement has come a long way in lowering barriers to services for abused women and children, the goal of eliminating domestic violence has a long way yet to go. 

In the meantime, we are privileged to have such dedicated people, willing to provide a safe place and to advocate for improved services towards healthier lives.

To access Cridge Transition House services or information, call 250-479-3963 any time, day or night. To learn more about, or to volunteer with, Cridge Transition House and other Cridge Centre services go to their website: www.cridge.org. Online donations can be made any time via The Cridge Centre's page at www.CanadaHelps.org. If you prefer, during business hours, call Shannon at (250) 995-6419 to arrange a donation, or email swhissell@cridge.org.

All the best.

Lana

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

myrecyclopedia.ca is a great online resource when you need to figure out if or how you can recycle something....or if you wants tips on reusing and reducing.

Wondering what to do with used batteries or a broken microwave? Want inspiration on how to reuse cardboard boxes? Do you know what to do with empy aerosol containers or unwanted paint? 

All the answers are here!

A big thank-you to all the recycling folks at the CRD! Keep up the good work!!

Lana