Danielle Levesque ties a purple ribbon around a tree down by city hall in this 2020 file photo. November is Family Violence Prevention Month and the Medicine Hat Women's Shelter Society has a number of things planned to help raise awareness.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
November is Family Violence Prevention Month, and to promote the visibility of this critical issue, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society is hosting a variety of events throughout the next four weeks.
“Alongside our annual Memorial Walk, which starts at Medicine Hat city hall, we have a number of programs and events throughout the month to raise awareness and educate our community,” says executive director Natasha Carvalho.
The walk itself will take place Friday, starting at city hall. Attendees will walk through downtown Medicine Hat and put up purple ribbons to honour those impacted by Family Violence.
There will be a story time hosted at the Redcliff Public Library, aimed toward elementary aged children, on Nov. 7 and 8, starting at 1:30 p.m. Stories will have a focus on empathy and dealing with anger. A similar story time will be at the Medicine Hat Public Library on Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.
MHWSS will be dropping the puck at the Medicine Hat Tigers game on Nov. 15 to mark FVPM, and be set up at the Community Corner. Sun Valley Honda will collect donations of new toys and presents as part of the kickoff to the annual Christmas Hamper Campaign. Fans can also support the shelter at the Nov. 9 game through ATB Financial’s Chuck-a-Puck.
On Nov. 19, MHWSS will partner with the Students Association of MHC and Sanare Centre to celebrate international men’s day, with swag bags, trivia and conversation cards, plus informational displays.
Residents are invited to register for a session on recognizing and preventing elder abuse, family violence and what local supports are available at the Veiner Centre on Nov 21. Those interested are encouraged to call 403-529-8307 to register, or do so in person at the Veiner Centre reception desk.
“Family Violence Prevention Month is a way our community can come together to learn more about this issue, what local resources are available, and how they can be a part of building a safer community,” said Carvalho.
