YWCA campaign brings awareness to violence against women
By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on February 17, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com Students from Father Leonard Van Tighem School in partnership with YWCA Lethbridge and District, took part on the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters’ Love a Shelter campaign on Valentines’s Day.External relations director of the YWCA Lethbridge and District, Cat Champagne said the campaign is a Valentine’s Day campaign that the ACWS created to bring awareness to ongoing violence against women.
“As well as to highlight the labour of love that domestic violence shelters do in order to support women that are fleeing violence and abuse, so just trying to highlight that amazing work that’s done by shelter workers,” said Champagne.
She said they decided to reach out to schools in both school divisions and Winston Churchill High School and Father Leonard Van Tighem school decided to participate.
“The point was to create valentines and send them into the shelter for staff to take a look at, and also for participants to be able to see while displayed at the lobby,” said Champagne.
FLVT Grade 1 students with the help of their Grade 8 buddies, created Valentine’s Day cards of appreciation for the staff at the YWCA Harbour House women’s shelter.
FLVT teacher, Emily Boutland said the Grade 8 students helped their Grade 1 buddies during Religion class, to create the cards in the shape of two hands.
“Our school motto is ‘Many Hands Building a Better World,’ which is why we chose to do two hands with a heart in the centre for the cards, to symbolize helping hands supporting other people,” said Boutland.
She said they did it during Religion class, because during that class they are always looking for ways to give back to the community.
Grade 1 student Beckett Brunner said he felt good doing the cards because it would make someone smile and he likes doing crafts.
“My buddy traced my hand on a paper, then I cut out and then I wrote a message, drew a picture and put stickers in the inside,” said Brunner.
Grade 8 student Peter Dziendzielowski said taking part of the Love a Shelter campaign was a great experience for him.
“Knowing what the families must have gone through, really helped me find what to say on those cards,” said Dziendzielowski.
He said it was good to do something small that would help them get through whatever they were going through.
“It made me feel great to send these messages to people, to give these people something to look up and enjoy, I think it was really a great experience,” said Dziendzielowski.
Boutland said with the activity, students in both grades became interested in learning more about the work that YWCA does for those fleeing violence and abuse.
She said the activity served as an example on how a small gesture can have a big impact on someone else’s life.
“We can’t help but wonder how much difference one person makes in the world. We look inside ourselves questioning if we have the capacity for heroes and greatness, but the truth is every time we take an action, we make an impact,” said Boutland.
 She said she wanted to show her students that everything they do has an effect on people around them, and every choice they make ripples out into the world.
 “Our smallest acts of kindness can cause a chain reaction of unforeseen benefits for people we’ve never met, we might not witness those results but they happen all the same,” said Boutland. Follow @APulidoHerald on Twitter 4
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