VWTH May Update

Happy Mother's Day

To all staff at VWTH,

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for helping me and my family through this transition in our lives. It’s good to know there are people who are so understanding, non-judgmental, compassionate and supportive in this world to get us through all our difficulties.

Thanks again to all you do and all you have done.

- A mom and her two children who stayed at the Emergency Shelter

Mother’s Day can be a wonderful, warm opportunity to celebrate and honour our mothers and mother-like figures in our lives. But it can also be a day that is difficult for many people. At our Emergency Shelter, we always like to ensure that Mother’s Day feels special for our residents (whether they are moms or not). This year there are various positive activities planned, many of which are possible thanks to generous donors and donations.

Residents will have the opportunity to make aromatherapy scented face scrubs with Shelter staff.
Each mom and resident will be given beautiful gift bags containing self-care products.
An activity is planned for the children, to paint and decorate flowerpots for their moms. There will be a package of flower seeds in each.
There will be flowers for all to enjoy.
Child minding will be provided for those who wish to take a few hours for themselves to go to a movie, the museum or for a walk along the beach.

Special thanks to U Deserve Flowers for the donation of flowers; to customers of the Body Shop and Saje stores at Mayfair Mall for donations of self-care items, and to Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty for beautifully filled gift bags.

Easter Celebrations at the Shelter

Staff were able to provide a very 'hoppy' Easter for residents of our Shelter with a celebration meal, some self-care gifts for the women, and egg decorating and hunting for the kids! Beautiful fresh flowers were provided by U Deserve Flowers, and generous donor Lisa Woo, from Discovery Toys, once again put together delightful Easter baskets for the children that included age-appropriate toys, puzzles, snacks and treats. Thank you to all the donors who make holidays at the Shelter special for the women and children staying there, it makes such a difference.

Cozy Comfort Project

At the suggestion of our Advisory Circle of Indigenous women leaders, VWTH has started Cozy Comfort, a blanket distribution project for Shelter clients. As women arrive at the Shelter, they are given the opportunity to select a colourful quilt or throw-style Afghan blanket, carefully crafted and thoughtfully donated by VWTH supporters. Shelter residents are welcome to use the blanket during their stay and take it with them when they leave. Children are also invited to select their special blanket. Thank you to all our donors who are contributing to this project.

Exploring New Enriching Activities

Residents of our 50+ Housing Program had the opportunity to take a workshop with a W̱JOȽEȽP –Tsartlip First Nation artist. Shawntay led the session demonstrating how to make a Dream Catcher using traditional methods and materials. While the group worked on their projects there was time to talk, reflect, and tell stories. Shawntay shared how mothers and grandmothers have always taught and passed on the skills of Indigenous crafts, such as making Dream Catchers or beadwork. Thank you to Shawntay for this opportunity, and the generous donors whose support enables these sorts of healing, arts-based activities for our clients.

Upcoming Events

Frances Hope Album Release Party

Thank you Frances Hope Music for donating 50% of proceeds from your album release party to Victoria Women's Transition House. On May 26th, Frances Hope is presenting her third studio EP called 'Paradigm' at the release celebration at Haus of Owl: Creation Lab. "The music is based on a paradigm shift to a better mental space, and what better way to pay homage to my first single (Broken Girls) than by donating half of the ticket sales to VWTH. Let me take you on a journey of unconventional healing and truth, along with my peers and collaborators who made this dream possible." – buy tickets

Another Chance for Fitness & Fundraising

Victoria Goddess Run: Virtual June Challenge - Keep your inner Goddess shining throughout the month of June! You are invited to participate in a series of challenges, webinars, special offers from sponsors and prize draws that will set you up for a great summer.

Each week in June will have a different focus: Motivate, Inspire, Educate, and Celebrate!

Share your four ‘Virtual’ Runs, participate in weekly challenges, receive invitations to webinars, online workouts, sponsor offers/discounts, and be entered into weekly prizes drawn every Sunday. Register today

VWTH Counsellor Michelle Milligan has registered as our ‘Charity Champion’ for the Virtual June Challenge. Join Michelle by registering too, or you can support her fundraising effort for Victoria Women’s Transition House - thank you Michelle!

New Campaign Exposes Tech Abuse

Thanks to a grant from the Department of Justice Canada, this Victims & Survivors of Crime Week (May 14 – 20), Victoria Women’s Transition House is producing a short public information campaign to bring awareness to the issue of technology-facilitated gender based violence (TFGBV) and the resources available for those who have experienced it.

The campaign includes information to increase community awareness of what constitutes abuse online (and through technology), and shares resources available to those who are, or have, experienced this type of abuse.

The primary audience for this campaign is 15-35 year olds, the generation who have grown up on digital devices, but may be less certain of their boundaries in this area. In addition, we hope to raise more general awareness in the whole population about what constitutes abuse.

Four behaviours will be highlighted:

Cyberstalking – tracking using social media to follow your activities; looking through your phone or checking up on your pictures, texts, and phone records; monitoring you using any kind of technology including GPS and Air Tags
Nonconsensual pornography – sharing intimate images without your consent
Sextortion - demanding or pressuring you to send explicit photos or videos, sexts, or otherwise compromising messages
Doxing – publishing your private or identifiable information online without consent

Victoria residents can expect to see campaign images on the sides of transit buses, but the campaign will also include digital ads on platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Anyone clicking the ads will be taken to a custom webpage full of information and resources.

Thank You

Thank you to Youth in Philanthropy students at Claremont High School and Vic High who selected Victoria Women’s Transition House as the beneficiary of their grants this year. Vital Youth funds come from the Victoria Foundation. This annual program encourages youth at schools across the Victoria region to engage in philanthropy. We are very grateful to be the recipient of the funds and to have had the opportunity to hear from the students about why they made their selections at the Vital Youth event in April.

FemLaw, the feminist collective at the UVic Faculty of Law, raised funds for VWTH through sales of branded merchandise including logoed sweatshirts and tote bags that feature the names of each of the eleven women who have served as justice in the Supreme Court of Canada, past and present. As a result of sales, FemLaw made a donation of nearly $900 – thank you!

Volunteer News

Board Member Volunteer Opportunity. Applications are open for new Volunteer Board Members. Are you interested in volunteering as a Board Member for an organization that is committed to supporting women and their right to live a life free of relationship violence and abuse? We are excited to welcome individuals who are interested in volunteering for a two-year term on our Board of Directors. Find out what the role involves, and the experience required, on our website

Crisis Line Volunteers. A new cohort of crisis line volunteers recently completed their extensive training program and are now beginning to put their new skills to use answering calls for our 24/7 Crisis & Information Line – thank you for your commitment.