From red shoes to red paint, My Friend’s House is hoping to do more to support women and children fleeing domestic violence in South Georgian Bay.
My Friend’s House is launching a new fundraising initiative this year to replace the Red Shoe Walk, called Paint the Town Red, with a lofty goal of raising funds throughout the month of September to help bridge the funding gap for the services they provide.
Samantha Jones, program manager for My Friend’s House, explained that the organization needs to raise $800,000 over the course of the year beyond what they receive through other funding sources such as grants in order to provide their services, and are hoping most of that will come from Paint the Town Red events this year.
“The need is greater than what we are receiving right now,” said Jones.
My Friend’s House is a non-profit agency offering support for abused women and children living in South Georgian Bay since 1991. The shelter has 12 beds, and offers outreach, transition and children’s programs. Its home base is in Collingwood, with satellite offices in Meaford and Wasaga Beach.
In 2023, the organization fielded more than 4,500 calls to their 24/7 crisis line, which is a major jump. Jones estimates that in 2019, the organization fielded about 1,100 calls.
“There’s a huge gap right now,” said Jones. “We had a huge jump during the (COVID-19) pandemic. A lot of that was the stresses that came with the pandemic.”
Specifically in the Collingwood area, Jones said the cost of housing has also been a major reason for the uptick in use of their services.
“If you’re a woman with children looking to flee an unsafe environment, the ability to go down to one income and gain safe and affordable housing right now is a huge challenge,” she said. “Maybe people who could have afforded to leave, now can’t do that.”
Jones says the length of stays for women and children seeking shelter are now longer than ever, as often times she has nowhere affordable to send clients after they escape tumultuous home situations.
In 2023, the Red Shoe Walk brought in $110,000. However the organization noticed that one-off events organized by supporters brought in many more funds than the walk, which led to them thinking out-of-the-box for this year’s fundraising push.
My Friend’s House supporters are encouraged to get creative by hosting their own fundraising events this year, which could include golf tournaments, beach days, concerts, hikes, and more.
As the organization supports women and children in all South Georgian Bay municipalities, the organization is hoping fundraisers will pop up both in Collingwood and surrounding municipalities including Meaford, Clearview, Wasaga Beach and The Town of the Blue Mountains.
“About 25 per cent of calls are coming from Wasaga Beach,” said Jones.
Overall, any fundraising the community can kick in will go a long way.
“The impact is we’re helping women and children rebuild their lives and move toward a life of stability free from violence,” said Jones. “These events have a huge impact on changing lives.”
Participants can register their events with Ciara O’Connell, events and community relations manager by email at [email protected].
For more information on Paint the Town Red, click here.
