YWCA Blog: Women staying longer in Alberta shelters
On November 6, 2013, Alberta’s women’s shelters recorded the number of women and children supported for the annual ‘day in the life’ count. Full provincial shelter results can be found online. […]
YWCA Blog: Celebrating International Women’s Day
YWCA CEO Sue Tomney and YWCA Board Chair Lori Van Rooijen address the audience at our first CELEBRATE event. On March 6th, 2014, the YWCA of Calgary hosted our first CELEBRATE event, in honour of International Women’s Day. Calgary’s best and brightest gathered for a fun night of drinks and appetizers at Belgo [...]
YWCA Blog: 5 ways to give to the YWCA of Calgary
We would not be able to keep our doors open to vulnerable women and their families without the support of our wonderful donors! As you plan for the year ahead, we wanted to share the many ways you can support the YWCA of Calgary and our mission to intervene, empower and lead when and where [...]
YWCA Blog: Ending violence against women a shared responsibility
Calgary is often heralded as one of the best cities to live in, not only in Canada but in the world. Recent incidents seem to point to a key caveat – it’s a great place to live as long as you are not a marginalized woman. We have come a long way since women did [...]
YWCA BLOG: The role of business in ending family violence
The panelists included:Lana Wells – Brenda Strafford Chair, Prevention of Domestic Violence, University of Calgary;Lorna St. Thomas – Manager of Community Investments and Partnerships for Enbridge Pipelines;Inspector Steve Barlow – Calgary Police Service; and Rhonda Kent – YWCA Manager, Children Exposed to Family Violence As an organization that serves women who are struggling, the [...]
YWCA BLOG: Client success story
The Vermilion Energy/YWCA Employment Resource Centre (ERC) provides services for unemployed or underemployed women who need help to develop or enhance their employability. Some of the services offered include individual and group workshops, which help vulnerable women build life skills, job search techniques, resume writing skills and connections with education partners and employers. Read a [...]
YWCA BLOG: Volunteers key to program success
Volunteers are the lifeblood of any non-profit organization, and the YWCA of Calgary is no exception. We would not be able to keep our doors open to vulnerable women without our dedicated and committed volunteers. The basic needs store at YWCA Mary Dover House supportive housing program provides an excellent example of a program thriving [...]
YWCA BLOG: New funding for non-profits affected by Alberta floods
Today at the YWCA of Calgary downtown location, the Government of Alberta announced additional funding for arts and non-profit organizations impacted by the Alberta floods. Speaking in a portion of the YWCA’s former fitness facility damaged by flooding, Heather Klimchuk, Minister of Culture, said $4 million will be made available for non-profit/voluntary sector organizations to [...]
YWCA BLOG: We must all take steps to end sexual violence
There has been much reported by local media this week about an arbitration ruling in favour of a Calgary woman who was repeatedly sexually assaulted at work by a male colleague. The assaults themselves and their life-changing impact on this woman and her family are truly horrifying. We must be equally indignant, however, at the [...]
YWCA BLOG: Minimum wage in Canada not high enough
This week, The Current from CBC is highlighting the stories of several Canadians struggling to survive on minimum wage. Today’s episode focused on Acsana Fernando, a refuge from Bangladesh who is now living in Toronto. The Current reports Acsana makes $10.25 an hour, which is the minimum wage in Ontario. Her usual monthly pay after [...]