“I hope you have a Holly, Jolly Christmas this year or any other holiday you celebrate”
– Mackenna
As many get ready to spend some much needed R’n’R time with loved ones, it can be easy to lose sight of the women and children in Calgary who still need your support. For many, the holiday season is not a time of comfort, but a reminder of a continued struggle to stay safe.
Those struggling with homelessness, poverty, domestic abuse and isolation never get a day off. Every day, women and children flee their homes, women experiencing homelessness struggle to find shelter and low-income women struggle with poverty. We all experience the pressure to spend, spend, spend around the holidays but imagine being torn between buying your child a Christmas present and ensuring your electricity stayed on. The choice is obvious but the emotional impact is huge.
Women are already responsible for the bulk of the emotional labour in day-to-day life, which is the unpaid and often unnoticed work making everyone around you comfortable and happy. During the holidays, women face even greater pressure to create perfect holiday for their families. But we know that women are at a higher risk of poverty as 61 per cent of Alberta’s minimum wage earners. We know that when a mother experiences poverty, her children live in poverty.
During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s easy to forget there are people who are struggling with addiction, mental health challenges, poverty, and a hope that things will get better.
But you can make the holidays brighter for women and their children and ensure the next year starts with more hope and opportunities.
We believe that the holidays are a time when we should consider the needs of others – not simply for the season, but throughout the year. For us, being charitable means giving more than receiving. This holiday season, consider supporting women and children who need a bit of extra joy during the holidays. Give a gift of comfort and hope to those most vulnerable. Consider writing a message of hope if giving is not an option, we’ve included some of the messages below to serve as inspiration:
“Some people think it’s holding on that makes one strong. Sometimes it’s letting go.”
– Norma
Your donation creates brighter futures for everyone. If you can, please donate today.
