March 8 marks International Women's Day (IWD), a global day to recognize and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and girls. It is also a time to raise awareness of the progress made towards achieving gender equality and the work that remains to be done.

Canada's theme for IWD 2022 is Women Inspiring Women, a celebration of the women and girls who inspire us through the leadership choices they make in their day-to-day lives and their contributions and positive influence on society. Join the conversation on social media with hashtag #IWD2022. Click here to see other ways you can get involved.

In recognition of International Women's Day, Victoria Women's Transition House will host an information booth at Walmart at Uptown, March 8 from 10 am–4 pm. Come by to say hello to our staff and volunteers and have a friendly chat about how you can help to raise awareness and support women and children impacted by intimate partner violence and abuse.

On February 14, self-care gift bags were assembled by staff for Shelter residents. In the spirit of celebrating self-love and care, VWTH's Shelter house manager demonstrated to residents how to make a luxurious facial exfoliate—scented with a dash of essential oil of their choice.

To mark the day, Helen Baxter, representing the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, Xi Nu Chapter, also presented Transition House with the Purse Project—a colourful collection of purses filled with delicious treats and thoughtful gifts for Shelter residents. Thank you, friends!

We are grateful to everyone who helps to empower VWTH residents to practice self-love and care during these challenging transitory periods in their lives.

Healing Through the Arts: Creativity and Resilience Through COVID-19 is an arts-based program that provides mixed media classes for survivors of partner abuse further isolated due to the pandemic. Between October–December 2021, visual artist Marie Metaphoe Specht led an eight-week session that focused on multidisciplinary visual arts, including art journaling, poetry and creative writing.

Watch for our Spring Newsletter and a montage of artwork created by participants during the winter 2021 program. This program was made possible by funding from the CRD Arts Commission and individual donors.

Art piece created by Healing Through the Arts participant. Shared with permission.

We are so thankful to have continuing support from local organizations such as Fernwood Coffee, the South Island Farm Hub and Island Gold Eggs. Pictured left is Charlene Boychuk from Island Gold Eggs, who takes time out of her busy schedule to drop off dozens of eggs every month!

VWTH is an enthusiastic member of the Capital Region Food Share Network, an organization that works with food banks, schools and organizations in the Greater Victoria area to increase food security and reduce food waste. Pictured below is Alexis at the Food Share warehouse who has been helping provide VWTH with weekly fresh produce.

To support women outside of their 30-day Emergency Shelter stay, Accessible Food Resource guides have been created and distributed to VWTH frontline workers as a resource for Transition House clients. The guides offer a list of accessible grocery and grocery voucher programs and community organizations that hold weekly sit-down and takeaway food programs, as well information about meal programs for school-aged children.

We are excited to see new community initiatives in food security that will aid our clients in accessing healthy, local food when they move on from our services.

Come by this weekend to the Victoria Women's Expo—a two-day event on March 5 & 6 at the Pearkes Recreation Centre. Transition House is excited to be hosting an information booth, spotlighting VWTH's programs and services.

With 100+ exhibitors, the Expo provides opportunities to investigate and discover new trends and up-to-date products, information and services in an upbeat and friendly environment. Tickets are $5 and available at the door or online, click here to register. We hope to see you there!

VWTH's PEACE/Children Who Witness Abuse team is excited to host an upcoming webinar called Behind Closed Doors: Children Who Witness Domestic Violence, followed by a facilitated discussion. The webinar is geared towards parents, caregivers, and other support professionals that work with children who have witnessed abuse. To reach as many people as possible, the team will host this webinar on two separate days.

When: March 10, 12:30 pm–1:30 pm

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88154617287

OR

When: March 16, 7:00 pm–8:00 pm

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83887130821

The webinar is free and open to all. For more information, please call the VWTH community office at 250.592.2927, Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm.

We are thrilled to introduce to you Karlee Grant, our Senior Program Manager and Victoria Women's Transition House's Charity Champion for the 2022 10th Annual Victoria Goddess Run.

VWTH is excited to have been chosen as one of three charities of choice for this year's Victoria Goddess Run. On June 4, Karlee, who is no stranger to marathons, will join hundreds of goddesses in-person in Langford, BC and run to raise funds for VWTH's programs and services that support women and children impacted by intimate partner violence and abuse. Click here to visit Karlee’s fundraising page to read her story.

The Victoria Goddess Run is a community of women and girls who come together every year to celebrate their stories, goals, and challenges. More than a run, it is an opportunity to connect and inspire each other.

You can Register for the virtual or in-person 5KM or 10KM run as an individual or as part of a team. Participants can add a tax-deductible donation to their registration, create a fundraising page and get friends and family involved to raise funds for their charity of choice.

On June 4, Goddess Run participants and supporters will celebrate with a post-race festival with music, entertainment, games, presents and more. VWTH will have an information tent on-site throughout the day. Click here to register and donate.

In solidarity with Pink Shirt Day, an initiative that raises awareness of anti-bullying initiatives, VWTH staff and board members wore pink on February 23 to join in the #Pinkshirtday movement.

At VWTH, we aim to work with kindness and empathy, respect differences and take a stand against all forms of bullying every day. If you or someone you know is being bullied or you are bullying someone else, resources and community supports are available 24/7. VWTH Crisis & Info Line: 250.385.6611

Thank you to the Lobstick Education and Advancement Foundation for their generous support of VWTH’s Shine: Girls’ Group Project, a facilitated, weekly support group for girls aged 11–13. The group helps and empowers pre-teen and teenage girls struggling with the effects of witnessing abuse in the home.

A big thank you also to Newman’s Own Foundation for support of VWTH's Violence is Preventable (VIP) project. The VIP project includes public education workshops and produces education resources for children, youth and the wider community.

Visit our website to learn about our Children's and Youth programs. Call VWTH at 250.592.2927 to book a free, 90-minute VIP workshop at your school today.

Victoria Women’s Transition House would like to express deep appreciation to David Bird for his generous donation to our organization with thanks to Gail Reaney and Marion Knock for prompting David to make this gift.

It is with much respect to the Lkwungen and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples of the WSÁNEĆ, Esquimalt, and Songhees Nations, on whose traditional territories the Victoria Women’s Transition House Society is located, that we make this acknowledgment with the expressed shared hope to live in communities free of intimate partner violence.